The NFL Trade Deadline is barely over a week away and lands on the scariest day of the year. It is fitting that Halloween is the destination for this deadline day as some players might be worried about what their future holds with their current employer. At a moment's notice, they could get the "you were just traded" call and have to move wherever they were dealt.
Plenty of teams will be searching for trades to try and upgrade their roster before the deadline hits. The Steelers could potentially be looking to make some moves. It could be a gamble either way as their team is struggling to find consistent footing as they sit at their bye week. They stumbled into first place in their division before the bye, but they need to fix a lot of things before being deemed playoff contenders.
Steelers could add a talented returner before the Trade Deadline
Gunner Olszewski is someone who should be cut because it is unlikely that anyone would want to trade for him. Trying to find a competent returner in the NFL is difficult, especially nowadays as kickoffs seem to never be taken out of the end zone. One name has popped out in the rumor mill lately as we get closer to the deadline day for the entire NFL.
Cordarrelle Patterson is the name to monitor here as he not only has shown to be a quality returner throughout his career, but he also has position flexibility. He started off his career as a receiver, which was not the best position for him. He then transitioned into becoming a running back and that seemed to fit his mold as a player better. He can play both spots.
Patterson is an explosive player with the ball in his hands and the different roles that he can play on a team is valuable. The Steelers could show interest in Patterson and get him for cheap. A late round pick swap would likely work. Trying to fit him into Pittsburgh's cap situation might be tricky as Patterson's current deal will attach him to the cap through 2025. Perhaps a salary retention would help.
Pittsburgh could take a gamble at upgrading cornerback via trade
Sometimes making a trade is a gamble and it takes those to find success. It could either backfire or it could make you seem like a genius. The Steelers have some obvious holes across their starting roster and cornerback is one of those areas of weakness. Trying to find a trade partner is not the easiest thing to do in the NFL.
Omar Khan has shown since taking over as General manager that he is not afraid to field trade calls and work towards a deal. Giving a call to a team that is already out of the season might be the best move. Calling the Carolina Panthers for their top cornerback playing right now might be a bold move, but adding someone like Donte Jackson might help this defense.
Both Levi Wallace and Patrick Peterson cannot remain the starting cornerbacks on the outside with how poorly they have played. Adding someone like Jackson provides a speed cornerback to their club that is in desperate need of a change of scenery. It would take a swap of late round picks and retained money by the Panthers to make this trade work.
It could also take Carolina taking on a cap dump contract from Pittsburgh to make everything cap compliant. The Steelers would get a cornerback who is super athletic and had prior quality seasons. He is struggling this year and that is where the gamble aspect comes in. He is also under contract past this season and that could tie up some money issues down the line.
Bringing in a veteran linebacker would provide a boost on defense
Inside linebacker has not been a huge issue for the Steelers yet, in fact, they have been better than what they had on their roster this time last season. That being said, this club could do a lot better than the players they currently have at their disposal. There could be options out there on the trade market that could be upgrades over the likes of Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, and Kwon Alexander.
One name that came to mind was Jordan Hicks of the Minnesota Vikings. There might not be a team that has disappointed more than the Vikings this season. Their star receiver seems out for the remainder of the season, and everything looks grim in Minnesota. Even their quarterback, Kirk Cousins could be traded before the deadline.
Hicks is someone that has been tied to Pittsburgh in the past by the media as a fit with the club. He never landed with the Steelers in the past, but this time would make sense. He would be acquired for cheap since he is on an expiring deal. He is a veteran with a lot of starting experience and is having a solid season thus far.
Throwing a late round pick at the Vikings to get the quality linebacker would be a buy low situation that could help this linebacker group a lot. Hicks brings a lot of experience and leadership with him that might help this group. Minnesota will be in selling mode going up to the deadline and someone like Hicks makes a lot of sense.
The Steelers could solidify their offensive front with an upgrade at center
One of the most shocking developments on the offense has been how bad the offensive line has been during the early part of the year. Maybe they just need time to come together and function as a group. Mason Cole is now in his second season as the starting center for Pittsburgh. It has not gone to plan, and it has been bad thus far.
Cole is a leader for that group and needs to be a quality anchor for the offensive front. Sadly, that has not materialized and that is where the logic behind this trade comes in. The Steelers need a future at center and that is where Lloyd Cushenberry III comes in. A lot of things are bad for the Denver Broncos right now, especially on the front line.
Cushenberry has been one of their bright spots and has graded out much better than Cole so far this season. It might be hard to transition to a new center at this point in the season, but it is not the hardest thing to change over. Trying to find fixes on the go and give Kenny Pickett every opportunity to prove that he is the guy should be a top priority.
Another positive about this move is that Cushenberry is on an expiring contract after the season. He is coming off his rookie contract. If he plays well with Pittsburgh for the remainder of the season, then they could extend him to a new contract. Trading for someone like this center could bring in a potential future at a key position in the trenches.
Rumors are swirling that Pittsburgh could add a top available cornerback
Another cornerback here that Pittsburgh could show interest in adding before the deadline. Reports have been circulating that Jaylon Johnson of the Bears could be available via trade and that the Steelers could have interest. Much like the Jackson and Panthers situation, the Bears are out of the playoffs and could be in for another full attempt at a rebuild yet again.
Johnson is on an expiring deal and would not cost too much to acquire. He is also not going to cost the black and gold too much in terms of money as he finishes out his rookie contract this season. That could make the cap situations to get Johnson much easier. It would be crazy to not put in a trade call with Chicago, but they might have Khan's number blocked.
He was able to trade Chase Claypool to them for what turned out to be the 32nd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. That was highway robbery, and it made the Bears look like fools, especially after they just traded Claypool again for scraps. It is worth the shot to get one of the best corners available to help upgrade this defense to finish the year.
Having him and Joey Porter Jr. on the outside and both Levi Wallace and Patrick Peterson in reserve would be good depth. If all goes well with Johnson during the remainder of the campaign, then the Steelers could always sign him to an extension. This could be a slam-dunk addition for Pittsburgh if they are willing to get bold and move on from both Wallace and Peterson as starters.