Report: Steelers Interested in Fletcher Cox

Jordan Schultz reports that the Steelers are one of three teams interested in trading for Philadelphia Eagles DT Fletcher Cox.

#Eagles receiving lots of interest for 6x Pro Bowl DT Fletcher Cox. League sources say #Bills, #Steelers and #Chargers all interested (#Cardinals aren’t due to lack of money).

Trading Cox would mean a $40M dead cap charge for Philly, so the return would have to be substantial.

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 12, 2022

The Steelers’ interest in Cox isn’t anything new as the team reportedly was discussing a trade involving Cox with the Eagles prior to last year’s trade deadline. However, the Eagles insistence that the Steelers part with, at least, a third round pick caused the potential of the deal to fall apart.

Cox is a well-regarded as a future hall-of-fame inductee. In addition to his 2018 Super Bowl victory, he is a six-time pro-bowler, a three-time all-pro second team selection and a 2018 all-pro first team selection.

The Steelers are in much need of help along the defensive line, especially with the unknown status of Stephon Tuitt. The Steelers had the NFL’s worst rated rush defense in 2021, partially due to injuries suffered by Tuitt and Tyson Alu Alu, along the defensive line and the lack of quality depth to adequately replace them.

If the Eagles were to trade Cox, then he’d be a $40 million dead cap hit for the team in 2022. This leads many to expect that the price to acquire Cox could be high, given the amount of money the Eagles would have to eat to get rid of him.