The trade deadline is upon us, and the Pittsburgh Steelers could be an active team given their position. While talks have died down about trading away players, it certainly seems like the team could wheel and deal before the deadline passes tomorrow.
However, Pittsburgh would be wise to trade with caution ahead of the deadline. Just because a player is available doesn’t mean you have to trade for him.
While in a good position, selling the farm for a team that is more of a pretender than a contender is not good business. With that considered, here are the dos and don’ts for the Steelers ahead of the NFL trade deadline.
The Pittsburgh Steelers dos and don'ts ahead of the trade deadline
Do: Steelers should trade away a player (if the price is right)
While trading players away while 5-3 isn’t the best strategy, I certainly think Omar Khan should keep his options open ahead of the deadline. While desperately trying to trade a piece away doesn’t make sense, if you get a good offer, you need to hear it out.
The tight end room is crowded, and outside of Darnell Washington, you have to question the long-term landscape of this room. Assuming you ink Washington to a long-term deal (something you really need to do), it means you will have to part ways with someone else in the room.
Darius Slay hasn’t played at the level you hoped, while you have a crowded edge rusher room. Again, that isn’t to say that you have to trade someone, but if a great deal comes onto the table, you should take it. We reaped the benefits when the Bears overpaid for Chase Claypool, and if another mismatch deal comes through, it would be foolish to ignore it.
Don’t: Overpay for a receiver
While the trade speculation at receiver has been a long-standing rumor, it feels like an almost unnecessary move right now. While no one is fearing Calvin Austin and Roman Wilson like you do DK Metcalf, this offense isn’t designed around needing to feed multiple receivers.
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Austin is honestly the perfect second target. He has the speed to win deep and can win in the short and intermediate game. No, he won’t be a feature player in this offense, but he can do more than enough to supplement this offense.
It feels like you are either overpaying for a veteran for a half-season rental or you can get a budget option with budget results (see Mike Williams). Sure, if the right player is there for the right price, go for it. But don’t feel like you have to add a receiver before the deadline.
Do: Seek out long-term players
It is more common than not that the trade deadline takes veterans on expiring deals from bad teams to contenders. They get their services for half a season in the hopes of fixing a hole and helping with a playoff push.
However, occasionally, young players in the middle of their deals get moved, and if the Steelers want to add talent, this is where they should do it. I’ve written about Jackson Powers-Johnson numerous times, and he would make sense for a deal like this.
T’Vondre Sweat could be another target as a potential nose tackle help. No, you shouldn’t overspend, but if you get the right player at the right price that can help out beyond this year, you should pull the trigger.
Don’t: Feel like you have to make a deal
In the past, it felt like the Steelers made moves at the deadline because they felt obligated to do so. The Williams deal last year felt a little forced, as did the William Jackson deal from a few seasons ago. Those deals ended up amounting to nothing.
While the Steelers have needs, forcing trades to fill them isn’t a good decision. There isn’t a player that takes this team to a Super Bowl contender, so overspending is not needed this draft deadline. If nothing happens between now and tomorrow, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing for the Steelers.