Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t historically been a team to make shockwaves with trade additions. Mike Tomlin’s team has done so twice this offseason, swapping for DK Metcalf and, on Monday, Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith.
The most shocking part of the blockbuster deal with the Miami Dolphins was three-time first-team Associated Press All-Pro Minkah Fitzpatrick heading the other way. The exchange has a strong case for being the wildest in Steelers history, but what are some other trades the team has made that have turned heads?
No, Ross Cockrell being sent away for a seventh-rounder in 2017 didn’t make the cut.
Before the trade: Bettis had a hot start out of the gate for the Rams. The team’s first-round draft choice in 1993, he picked up 1,429 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground as a newcomer. He earned the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award, then surpassed 1,000 rushing yards the next season, too.
His production dipped in 1995 before head coach Rich Brooks forced him out. At 24 years old, with a lot of tread left on his tires, Bettis became expendable after the Rams drafted Lawrence Phillips in the first round. Bettis chose Pittsburgh over another suitor in the Houston Oilers.
With the Steelers: The Bus spent a decade plowing defenders over in the Steel City.
Bettis made an instant impact, rushing for 1,431 yards and 11 touchdowns during his first season in black and gold, respectively ranking third and fifth in the NFL. He was tapped as a first-team AP All-Pro for the effort, then had his best statistical campaign as a professional in 1997. He rushed for 1,665 yards and seven touchdowns on a league-leading 375 carries that year.
During the last two seasons of his Pro Football Hall of Fame career, Bettis took a backseat to Duce Staley and Willie Parker. Bettis started only six games during that span, but still chipped in with 48.5 rushing yards per game and 22 touchdown surges. He rode into the sunset as a champion after winning Super Bowl XL in his hometown.
All told, Bettis was a 1,000-yard rusher in each of his first six go-rounds with the Steelers. He trails only Franco Harris on the Steelers’ all-time rushing yards and touchdowns leaderboard, having run for 10,571 yards and 78 touchdowns. Only seven players in NFL history have rushed for more yards than Bettis.
Breaking the trade down: The Steelers hadn’t ever traded up in the first round before they gave Kansas City the No. 27, No. 92 and No. 200 overall picks for the Chiefs’ No. 16. Polamalu had dealt with hamstring issues at USC the season prior, setting him up to slide in the order. Bill Cowher and Kevin Colbert couldn’t be too safe.
“Maybe some teams thought we’d be stupid...
