Sportsnaut
The status of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense is largely in flux. They still don’t know who their starting quarterback will be, but odds are it will be one of Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, or Mason Rudolph. If it’s the first two, Pittsburgh may want to act quickly to get them on the team before the Steelers’ mandatory minicamp kicks off on June 10.
Going further, the Steelers’ group of pass-catchers could still see some changes too. Of course, we’ve already seen a fair bit of roster transactions in Pittsburgh already, trading for DK Metcalf and shipping George Pickens out of town.
The Pickens trade has led to further speculation that the Steelers could still add another complementary weapon for their offense. Now, after Steelers tight end Donald Parham Jr suffered a season-ending Achilles tear, the Steelers could amplify their trade efforts.
Specifically, the Steelers have been linked to a trade for Miami Dolphins Pro Bowl tight end Jonnu Smith. Perhaps it’s no coincidence then that on the same day news broke of Parham’s injury, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Steelers have “renewed” trade discussions for Smith.
While the Steelers already have a starting tight end in Pat Freiermuth and another intriguing talent in 2023 third-round pick Darnell Washington, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith frequently likes to use multiple tight ends for different roles, and he already has a built-in familiarity with Smith from their time together in Atlanta and Tennessee.
In other words, the Steelers trading for Smith makes a lot of sense, but are the Dolphins willing to play ball? After all, he’s their starting tight end, and the Dolphins didn’t draft anyone at the position either.
Of course, it’s always possible that Miami negotiates a trade that brings back one of Freiermuth or Washington and installs him as their starter too.
Related: Pittsburgh Steelers reportedly don’t have key promise from Aaron Rodgers
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