Deadlines spur action. And the Pittsburgh Steelers are apparently trying to make a move ahead of Tuesday’s cutoff. According to NFL insider James Palmer, the Steelers are among the top teams being “aggressive” before the 4 PM/EST trade deadline.
“I’ve been hearing Pittsburgh is definitely out there being aggressive. They are looking at different players,” Palmer said during a live stream for Bleacher Report.
Palmer mentioned the Steelers being “in” on WR Jakobi Meyers. Whatever Pittsburgh’s level of aggressiveness, it wasn’t enough. The Jacksonville Jaguars landed him instead, sending a fourth- and sixth-round pick to the Raiders for Meyers. Moments ago, the Seattle Seahawks reportedly acquired New Orleans Saints WR Rashid Shaheed.
As of this writing, the most aggressive deadline team have been the Indianapolis Colts, reportedly pulling off a blockbuster move of sending a pair of first-round picks to the New York Jets for CB Sauce Gardner. Short of WR Jaylen Waddle being moved, it’s hard to believe any team will top that all-in purchase but the Steelers still could look to upgrade their roster before the deadline later today.
“Pittsburgh is one of those teams throughout the morning that has been mentioned to me as an aggressive team,” Palmer noted.
During his Tuesday press conference, Mike Tomlin teased the possibility of a move. If it’s for a wide receiver, the options are thinning. Meyers and Shaheed were the two most-likely wideouts to be dealt and are off the board. Other options include the rest of the Saints’ receiver room in Chris Olave and Brandin Cooks. But Olave would come at a high cost while Cooks arguably wouldn’t move the needle. The Tennessee Titans’ Calvin Ridley could be the best name available but has a heavy contract. The New York Jets’ Allen Lazard may not offer the boost Pittsburgh is looking for.
If not wide receiver, it’s possible the Steelers look elsewhere. More secondary help, offensive line depth, or even a scheme-fit running back could be on the table if Pittsburgh is looking to boost its offense as much as possible.
Of course, as the Gardner deal showed, trades can still surprise. Time will tell if Pittsburgh’s aggressiveness is just bark or if it’ll end in bite and a new addition to help the Steelers for the second half of the season.
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