Behind the Steel Curtain
Happy Tuesday! It’s also Nov. 4, which means NFL teams have until 4 p.m. EST to make any remaining trades this season. Given the occasion, it calls for an all-too-obvious question:
It’s a question we’ve asked a few times on this site already, but given that today is the trade deadline, it’s worth asking again — and feel free to hang out in the comment section and chat about any of the moves made across the league on this unusually-important Tuesday.
But to answer the prompt, I’d say it’s a “yes” within reason.
Omar Khan will undoubtedly be poking around the trade market as the deadline draws closer as all general managers should do, and if a good deal pops up, he should pull the trigger.
I’ve been a fan of the Steelers landing a younger WR2 type such as Jakobi Meyers or Rashid Shaheed if they can be acquired for a Day 3 pick and reasonable contract extension expectations. For similar reasons, looking for some potential youth infusions at defensive back or offensive line depth are options as well even if the market doesn’t look quite as promising at those positions.
But as I’ve written ad nauseam the last few weeks: If Pittsburgh makes a trade, it needs to prioritize the long term over the now — there are enough expensive, win-now deals on the roster already.
Plus, the Steelers shouldn’t be parting with any valuable draft capital given a looming future need at quarterback.
Ryan Parish and I already looked into some trade options for Pittsburgh in an earlier Read & React, so I’ll add a new angle to look at the main question: Should the Steelers be looking to trade anyone on their roster?
Darius Slay has been floated as a potential option, and I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea if Pittsburgh could find a cornerback-needy team willing to give up a pick in return. But the Steelers’ cornerback depth is surprisingly thin as well, especially with Jalen Ramsey playing safety. Even though he’s disappointed this season, would swapping Slay and seventh-round pick for another team’s sixth actually move the needle?
Outside of that, though, the Steelers front office almost certainly remains bullish on the season, and I wouldn’t expect Pittsburgh to be selling much if at all at the deadline.
However, I would expect at least one trade from Pittsburgh today. A blockbuster doesn’t make much sense, but Khan has proven to be one of the more aggressive general managers in the NFL and I don’t expect that to stop anytime soon. The Steelers even unexpectedly traded for an OLB4 at the deadline last year in Preston Smith to shore up a minor weakness on the defense.
Pittsburgh doesn’t need to make a move before the deadline, but past precedent shows the team will likely still be interested.
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