Steelers Could Make Trade at Deadline: ‘Open for Business’

PITTSBURGH — Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin says that the team is open for business at the trade deadline and could be ready to make a move to improve the team. The trade deadline is tomorrow at 4 p.m., and Pittsburgh has many needs they could look to fill before the day is over.

“We are always open for business,” Tomlin said.

Of course, the Steelers have plenty of reason not to make a move, too. While they could use help on the offensive side of the ball and in the secondary, Pittsburgh’s team looks flat, which could cause them to turn toward the offseason and instead focus on what they have. Standing pat would not be the worst move, but making a move with an eye toward the future could certainly make sense for the group.

However, one of the areas where they could add to the team is defensive back. Between injuries and a lack of personnel, the group has fallen short.

There are too many spots here to move and replace. The vast issue remains that the group does not have the athleticism to keep up with more athletic units like the Jaguars. At both safety and cornerback, it’s not an athletic group but one of the more veteran-based, slower groups in the league. To their credit, the Steelers have tried to scheme around it, but it’s tough. It severely limits what they can do.

Pittsburgh could punt on the moves, but they are very likely to at least sniff around in the market. Omar Khan has done that in the past, and he has made plenty of moves to try and improve the team as a whole.  Last season, the Steelers decided to move on from the drama-filled problem of Chase Claypool when they traded him to the Chicago Bears for the 32nd overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, which later turned into Joey Porter Jr. The other move that the team made in 2022 was when they sent a conditional 2025 sixth-round draft pick to the Washington Commanders for cornerback William Jackson III.