The Pittsburgh Steelers have done an excellent job of upgrading weak spots on their roster during the 2024 offseason. Omar Khan entirely revamped his team’s quarterback room while also adding impact players along the offensive line and the defensive front seven. However, there is one position group that must still be addressed and another area where the team is okay but could stand to benefit from these Steelers trade targets.
The Steelers must add a wide receiver and cornerback to round out their roster
The Steelers need to upgrade their wide receiver room before the 2024 season begins.
George Pickens might be a star, but he is currently the only sure thing the Steelers have at the receiver position. However, the problem gets even worse. It isn’t that Pickens is the only sure thing that the Steelers have, he’s essentially the only thing they have at all.
The Steelers drafted Roman Wilson in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft out of Michigan with the hopes that he would become the team’s next mid-round success at the receiver position but reports out of OTAs sound less than optimistic about Wilson’s impact this year.
All due respect, but when Van Jefferson is the second-best receiver on your team in the year 2024, a move needs to be made.
Next, Pittsburgh’s defensive backfield is solidified by the presence of Joey Porter Jr. and Minkah Fitzpatrick. But Mike Tomlin is relying on Deonte Jackson to start on the outside across from the team's second-year star. Pittsburgh would be smart to find another player who can complement Porter Jr. and hold down the other side of the field.
Now that we know what Pittsburgh’s needs are, let’s take a look at three Steelers' trade targets before the 2024 NFL season kicks off.
Brandon Aiyuk
As the old saying goes, where there is smoke, there is often fire. Well, there has been plenty of smoke regarding Brandon Aiyuk being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Aiyuk is one of the five best wide receivers in the NFL. He’s somebody who can beat opponents repeatedly as a possession receiver with the ability to get behind the defense and burn them for a big explosive play and a quick touchdown.
Aiyuk’s versatility makes him an incredibly frustrating player to defend. He has everything you could want from a number-one wideout. He’s extremely physical at the catch point, and can routinely turn 50/50 jump balls into 70/30 or even 80/20 chances in his favor. This makes the current 49er a quarterback's best friend. The Steelers revamped the quarterback room entirely over the off-season and now would be a perfect time to get their quarterback some more help.
Pickens is incredible at the catch point, but it never hurts to have two receivers with that skill set. Aiyuk is also much more developed than Pickens. The Steelers’ star might have a slight edge when it comes to physicality at the catch point, but the 49er’s star is everything that the Steelers are hoping Pickens develops into.
Aiyuk has a deep bag of tricks to beat his defender at the snap and rarely gets jammed at the line of scrimmage. He has great hands and concentration, rarely dropping a catchable pass. He can run any route and is an incredibly smooth runner who can shake free from defensive backs and create separation with ease.
Aiyuk is an incredibly polished player who features the best qualities of both Pickens and former Steeler Diontae Johnson. Of course, the 49ers won't give him up for anything short of a godfather offer and that is probably one of the reasons why the Steelers haven’t pulled the trigger on this deal already.
Aiyuk has the physical skills of Pickens and the elite route running and separation ability of Johnson, and for the cherry on top, he has better catching ability than both of them. This makes him an incredibly well-rounded and dangerous receiver who can impact the game in many ways.
DaRon Bland
Would the Dallas Cowboys trade DaRon Bland after he just set the all-time NFL pick-six record for a single season? What? No way! They wouldn’t actually do that, would they?
While it seems to go against all logic to trade Bland and Cowboys fans would certainly struggle to accept the deal, this could actually be the perfect sell-high opportunity for Dallas.
Bland has a knack for making big plays, but relying on interceptions can be unsustainable, and expecting a player to continue producing pick-sixes is almost certainly unsustainable. Outside of the highlight reel plays, the Cowboys’ defense back surrenders a concerning amount of yardage to opposing receivers and Dallas might want to sell when Bland’s value will never be higher.
The Steelers might see this as an opportunity to give up a second or third-round pick and acquire a surefire starter. Joey Porter Jr. is going to be Pittsburgh’s CB1 for the next decade, but adding a legitimate running mate would be ideal. Even a late first would be worth considering, as a guaranteed starting-caliber player is an ideal outcome for most picks outside the top 10.
Also, having Fitzpatrick roaming over the top from the free safety position would help cover up Bland’s biggest weakness, which is his gambler’s mentality that sometimes leads to explosive plays but also often results in him giving up big plays.
With Fitzpatrick playing the role of Earl Thomas as the centerfielder and last line of defense, there will be less risk of giving up a big play when Bland takes a chance to go for an interception.
Tee Higgins
If the Steelers want to target a player that might come at a lower price, Tee Higgins might be their guy. There have been rumors about the Bengals moving on from Higgins in the past, and with the team’s salary cap trouble and Higgins being disgruntled, they might just pull the trigger on a deal.
Higgins is very similar to Pickens. He’s a contested catch artist with big play potential who still needs to grow in other areas of the game. That being said, having a player who is essentially a clone of Pickens on your team can never be considered a bad thing.
The Bengals might try to extract a slight premium from the Steelers to trade within the division, but even with that premium Higgins should be exponentially cheaper to acquire than Aiyuk.
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