Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers could have one last move up their sleeve.
It’s no secret that the Pittsburgh Steelers are still in the market for a wide receiver since trading George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys this offseason. One analyst believes there’s a chance of that finally coming to fruition before the NFL trade deadline.
Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports thinks the Steelers could execute yet another blockbuster deal, but this time with the Philadelphia Eagles for three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Brown. In exchange, Pittsburgh would send tight end Pat Freiermuth, outside linebacker Alex Highsmith and a third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft back to Philadelphia.
“Why on Earth would the Steelers deal for Brown when they already spent picks and big money to land Brown’s former college teammate, DK Metcalf, this offseason? Because they’re all in on winning with Aaron Rodgers this year, and their 4-1 start suggests they’ll remain aggressive in roster-building,” Benjamin wrote. “Freiermuth doesn’t have a major role in Steel City anymore, but he might offer both blocking and pass-catching depth as a potential Dallas Goedert successor. Highsmith, meanwhile, is often nicked up but a proven edge rusher (29 sacks, 56 quarterback hits since 2022) to help fill the Eagles’ blatant need there.”
Brown, 28, would immediately give the Steelers the elite wide receiver duo they’ve been looking for. Since entering the league as the No. 51 overall pick in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans, Brown has recorded 471 catches for 7,300 yards and 50 touchdowns.
The 6-foot-2, 226-pound wide receiver also played a very large role in the Eagles run to winning Super Bowl LIX last season. However, there seems to be trouble starting to brew in Philadelphia this season.
Brown isn’t getting the usage or targets he’s been accustomed to receiving with just 25 catches for 274 yards and one touchdown through the first six games of the season. That is why some believe the Eagles could move on from him.
The price tag Benjamin believes it would take to acquire Brown is quite costly, though. While Freiermuth has disappointed this season with just eight catches for 76 yards, he has still proven to be one of the more underrated tight ends in the league throughout his young NFL career.
Highsmith has also done the same. Despite missing time in each of the past two seasons, he can steal wreak havoc when healthy, with 299 tackles, 37 sacks, nine forced fumbles, seven passes defensed, three interceptions and one touchdown since 2020.
A third-round pick in next year’s draft is nothing to toss away, either, especially with the Steelers clearly stockpiling picks all offseason with the intent to go get their next franchise quarterback.
Nonetheless, if Brown were to become available, it wouldn’t hurt Pittsburgh to make the call, but let’s be real, general manager Omar Khan probably already has.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Analyst Predicts Steelers Make Blockbuster Deal at Trade Deadline
