The NFL’s trade deadline is just two weeks away, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are seemingly gearing up to make a move to supplement their roster under GM Omar Khan and head coach Mike Tomlin.
What that addition will be at the trade deadline remains to be seen. It could be wide receiver. It could be cornerback or safety. Heck, it could even be more offensive line depth at this rate. Anything seems to be on the table.
For NFL.com’s Kevin Patra, what the Steelers must address at the trade deadline isn’t any of those positions. Instead, Patra sees the Steelers’ biggest need is addressing their run defense, particularly along the defensive line and at linebacker.
“Welp, after two solid weeks, Pittsburgh’s defense was back to being leaky. The Steelers have allowed 117-plus rush yards in four games this season, including on Thursday, when they made a previously putrid Bengals run game look explosive,” Patra writes. ” The middle has struggled to plug gaps, and the linebacking corps has missed tackles. The LBs have also struggled in coverage this season.
“Adding another receiver remains an option, but the biggest issue in Pittsburgh isn’t Aaron Rodgers‘ offense, it’s a defense that looked old — particularly so on a short week.”
The Steelers invested so heavily in the defensive side of the football in the offseason. They traded for Jalen Ramsey, signed Darius Slay, Brandin Echols and Juan Thornhill, and drafted Derrick Harmon, Yahya Black and Jack Sawyer on the defensive front.
It’s the second-highest paid defense in the NFL, and yet it has been so hit or miss this season that it’s led to plenty of frustrations. It didn’t help that Tomlin stated in the offseason that the defense has the chance to be “historic” while Thornhill said it could be the best defense of all-time.
It has been nowhere close to that. Thursday night’s loss to the Bengals was another frustrating example of that. Coming into the matchup, the Bengals were a historically bad rushing attack. They were rushing for around 57 yards per game. And then they gashed the Steelers for 142 yards on 23 carries.
That had team captain and star defensive lineman Cameron Heyward pissed off after the game, and it also led to some pointed comments Monday from linebacker Patrick Queen that the Steelers didn’t think the Bengals would run much due to their issues.
Well, they did, and they were highly successful at it. Now, the Steelers might need reinforcements along their defensive front to help shore up the run defense.
Names like Demario Davis, Jordyn Brooks and Jamal Adams are the most intriguing linebackers who could be available at the trade deadline, while defensive lineman Calais Campbell is a big piece in the trenches who is worth watching. None of them are perfect fits for the Steelers, but for the right price Khan could make a move to shore up his defense.
The Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac reported Monday that the Steelers won’t be adding a defensive piece at the trade deadline, so we’ll see if that is the case or not. But after the performance against the Bengals, the Steelers might need some outside help on that side of the football.