3 Players the Steelers Could Trade

The Steelers will cut down from 90 to 53 players on Tuesday. But before that day, trades and other moves can be made to thin the herd. Specifically, players that could find value elsewhere that the Steelers could want to move off so they can use that roster spot on another position. With that in mind, who are players that could be trade candidates?

Kevin Dotson

The obvious player to move is Kevin Dotson. A starter with significant playing experience, the NFL is now an offensive line starved league that needs depth and starters. For some teams, Dotson is a starter-level player or at least the main backup on the interior of the offensive line. I don’t see the Steelers getting a lot for Dotson, likely a lay day three pic in return. But make no mistake that Dotson has value in the trade market. 

Nate Herbig ran ahead of Dotson all training camp as the top backup across the interior of the offensive line. Guard depth is essential, but having another guy on the roster who plays guard seems redundant. It could free up the spot for Spencer Anderson, the young rookie who can play five spots and looked solid in the preseason. The roster has limited spots, but Dotson is among the Steelers’ best 53 players. It’s just how valuable he is compared to someone like Anderson. Pittsburgh needs to figure out the answer to that and potentially move Dotson, as long as the shoulder injury he is currently rehabbing is not too severe. 

Zach Gentry

Pittsburgh will keep four tight ends as it currently stands, but Zach Gentry feels like the odd man in the room. He is a solid, albeit not spectacular, blocker that rookie Darnell Washington outclasses. Pat Freiermith and Connor Heyward will be gameday actives. Like Dotson, Gentry is an excellent depth option, but how essential is a player like him, especially when upstart tight end Rodney Williams played well enough to consider him an NFL player.

This one is far less likely than Dotson. Gentry has good chemistry in this room and is the most apparent backup blocking tight end. Still, at this point, he probably is one of the gameday inactives with Washington playing with the first-team a significant amount of snaps already. 

A Backup DL

This one is likely because if Dotson can not be dealt, the defensive line will be where the move is made. Pittsburgh has a surplus of defensive line depth between Montravius Adams, Armon Watts, Breiden Fehoko, and Isaiahh Loudermilk, all competing for three spots on the defensive front. Pittsburgh could look to acquire some draft capital for those who do not make it. 

Like offensive linemen, defensive linemen come at a premium and are valued around the NFL. All four guys above are NFL-caliber players that teams will probably sign if they are cut. Pittsburgh could flip one of those players for a backup center or cornerback depth option that bolsters a position of weakness. That feels like a win-win if they can find the right deal. Given the tough decisions at that spot, a trade feels like capitalizing on a place of surplus smartly.