Seeking Reinforcements: 4 bottom-dwelling teams the Steelers could trade with
By Tommy Jaggi
It might be early in the NFL season, but we've already reached that time of year where some teams will look to bolster their roster and others will begin to look ahead to a rebuild. Entering Week 6, there are seven NFL teams who have just one win or fewer, and the talent gap between these bottom-dwellers and the top teams in the league has never been greater.
Many of these disappointing organizations know that they can't compete with the way their rosters are currently structured, and they will look to sell the farm before the 2023 NFL trade deadline. That's where the Pittsburgh Steelers come in.
Though Mike Tomlin's team hasn't played as well as their record would suggest, the Steelers are very much in the thick of the playoff race and they could be just a few pieces away from making a strong push in the second half of the season. Here are four bad NFL teams who could serve as trade partners with the Steelers before the Halloween deadline this year.
4. Steelers could trade with the New England Patriots
We never thought we'd see the day when Bill Belichick's New England Patriots were in such disarray. However, they might legitimately be the worst team in the league at the moment. Exiting Week 6, the Patriots are averaging a dismal 12.0 points per game on the season while surrendering 25.3 PPG to their opponents, per Team Rankings.
Much like Coach Tomlin, Belichick consistently has a competitive team. But those days might be behind him, and one of the greatest coaches in NFL history may hang up his hat for good soon. Now the Steelers could find a great trade partner with the Patriots.
Now at 1-5 on the year, New England's season is tanking fast, and they could be willing to sell some of their top assets for draft capital (which could be packaged to potentially move up for a quarterback in 2024). While the Patriots don't have a ton of star power, the Steelers could try to trade for veteran right tackle Trent Brown. This would be a sizeable improvement over Chukwuma Okorafor.
Likewise, 31-year-old center David Andrews may be up for grabs. While he wouldn't serve as the long-term answer at the position for Pittsburgh, he would be a plug-and-play starter, as Mason Cole might be the worst starting center in the NFL at the moment.