The NFL roster cutdown deadline is fast approaching. Much of the Pittsburgh Steelers\u2019 day will consist of trimming down the roster from 91 to 53 players. At the same time, the team will be looking across the league to see what players might become available via cuts or potential trade partners. Under Omar Khan, Pittsburgh has made deadline deals to acquire (OG Jesse Davis, EDGE Malik Reed) and send away (C Kendrick Green).<\/p>\n
Could the same happen during this year\u2019s cutdown? There might not be a blockbuster deal coming through the door in an offseason full of them. But here are five sensible trade scenarios that could take place on roster cutdown day or in the 24-48 hours after.<\/p>\n
Trade No. 1<\/p>\n
Steelers Send: QB Skylar Thompson + 2026 7th Round Pick
Jets Send: 2026 6th round pick<\/p>\n
Why It Makes Sense: Thompson has enjoyed a strong summer in Pittsburgh. It shouldn\u2019t come as the shock it perhaps has. Thompson has started regular-season and playoff games, making preseason action against vanilla defenses easy work. Still, he\u2019s generated enough value to quarterback-needy teams.<\/p>\n
New York is one of those clubs. Justin Fields thankfully avoided a serious injury to start camp. Backup Tyrod Taylor wasn\u2019t so lucky. He underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and may not be ready for the season opener. Adrian Martinez and Brady Cook are the only other quarterbacks on the roster. Neither has thrown an NFL pass.<\/p>\n
In the 24-hour span from writing this to publication, the Jets traded two of their four<\/a> 6th-round selections for defensive linemen.<\/a> That makes this scenario slightly harder to believe but whether it\u2019s another sixth or a future pick, the principle of the deal remains the same. Here, Pittsburgh sends back next year\u2019s seventh as an add-on, effectively allowing them to move up 40-ish spots in the draft.<\/p>\n It beats cutting Thompson outright, where he may not want to sign onto the practice squad as a No. 4, assuming Will Howard is healthy and cleared for Week One.<\/p>\n Trade No. 2<\/p>\n Steelers Send: P Corliss Waitman Why It Makes Sense: Truth be told, it was hard to find a team in need of a punter. Most teams are happy with their situation, and even unproven names like the Jets\u2019 Austin McNamara have seemingly done enough to earn their keep. But the Saints are an option. The team has two punters in camp, Kai Kroger and James Burnip, but it doesn\u2019t sound like either name has cemented starter status.<\/p>\n Waitman filled in for Cameron Johnston throughout most of 2024 and punted well. He\u2019s had an excellent leg, and it fits perfectly to punt indoors in New Orleans. Johnston could just as easily be subbed in, going to New Orleans. Whoever Pittsburgh chooses against will be shopped.<\/p>\n The Steelers couldn\u2019t trade Braden Mann, but did send Brad Wing to the New York Giants a decade ago for a seventh-round pick. The Saints don\u2019t have a 2026 seventh-round pick, and this post originally had Pittsburgh getting back a 2027 7th. Like the Jets, the Saints incredibly traded away that selection<\/a> in the day since this post was finished, so I\u2019m bumping it up to a future sixth-rounder.<\/p>\n Trade No. 3<\/p>\n Steelers Send: DL\/EDGE DeMarvin Leal Why It Makes Sense: It\u2019s a stretch, no doubt. Leal has played out his time in Pittsburgh and seems likely to be released during the 26th\u2019s cutdowns. For former high draft picks, I always check out the teams and coaches who showed pre-draft interest. One of Leal\u2019s visits ahead of the 2022 draft was with the Dallas Cowboys.<\/a> Dan Quinn served as the team\u2019s then-defensive coordinator. He\u2019s now leading the charge in Washington.<\/p>\n Leal could be a good fit as a 4-3 defensive end. That\u2019s his ideal fit after bouncing between defensive end in Pittsburgh\u2019s 3-4 and outside linebacker, playing the latter throughout training camp. Leal\u2019s an impressive athlete who never found the scheme fit with the Steelers. Leal would be a reserve but could grab a spot at the end of the roster to possibly replace Javontae Jean-Baptiste, who reporters have noted has been injured for much of the summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n In return, Pittsburgh adds another 2026 draft pick to its deep bench of selections. A potential one, anyway. The condition would be tied to games played\/snap count. This deal has big Kendrick Green-type vibes.<\/p>\n Trade No. 4<\/p>\n Steelers Send: 2026 5th Round Pick Why It Makes Sense: A deal with Pittsburgh getting a player in return. I\u2019m barking up the same tree I have throughout the offseason. My case to land Pierce is even stronger now that Daniel Jones has been named<\/a> the Indianapolis Colts\u2019 starter. He won\u2019t take the downfield shots Anthony Richardson routinely did, reducing Pierce\u2019s value to the team.<\/p>\n Pierce is on the last year of his rookie deal, and the Colts have other options to throw to in Michael Pittman, Josh Downs, and AD Mitchell. Those factors make Pierce expendable, and his price tag won\u2019t be high in trade or contract.<\/p>\n Pierce would immediately become a field-stretcher to produce big plays that the Steelers\u2019 passing game is searching for. He has size, can block, and fits Pittsburgh\u2019s scheme well. If not re-signed in the offseason, he could potentially bring a 2027 comp pick. But that\u2019s not the reason for the deal. Pierce is a cheap No. 2 option to pair opposite DK Metcalf, while Roman Wilson and Calvin Austin III can still filter in, primarily working out of the slot in 11 personnel.<\/p>\n Omar Khan seems hesitant to part<\/a> with 2026 draft capital. But this is a Day Three deal, and netting a seventh-round pick back keeps the number of selections the same, even if it\u2019s a downgrade.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a middle-of-the-road deal worth making, and if it\u2019s not made at cutdowns, it\u2019s one to monitor throughout the season. If the Colts\u2019 season has gone south by the deadline (Indy hasn\u2019t been .500 or better at the deadline since 2020), they\u2019ll be looking to part with a vet unlikely to be re-signed. By then, Pierce\u2019s price tag should be even cheaper.<\/p>\n Trade No. 5<\/p>\n Steelers Send: 2026 6th Round Pick + 2027 5th Round Pick\u00a0 Why It Makes Sense: Pittsburgh needs offensive line depth in the worst way. The team entered training camp with questions that were only furthered and not answered. Veteran Calvin Anderson has been injured for three weeks, while Dylan Cook doesn\u2019t look like the next man up. Enter Fisher.<\/p>\n A second-round pick of Houston in 2024, Fisher had a tough rookie year. But he came out of the draft as a young 20-year-old prospect who predictably took his lumps. Houston is one of the few teams with tackle depth after drafting Aireontae Ersery in the second round while signing Cam Robinson and Trent Brown (currently on PUP but moving closer to return), making someone like Fisher expendable. Houston doesn\u2019t currently own<\/a> a 2026 sixth-round pick. Getting one from Pittsburgh fills that gap.<\/p>\n Fisher has worked at both tackle spots and is an above-average athlete who fits in Arthur Smith\u2019s outside zone-based scheme. Pittsburgh held a formal Combine meeting with him ahead of last year\u2019s draft. Trading for him secures him under contract through 2027, which is why the Steelers give up an additional selection for him. Currently, the Steelers don\u2019t have a 2027 sixth-rounder, while the Texans don\u2019t have a 2027 fifth-rounder.\u00a0This swap fills those gaps.<\/p>\n
Saints Send: 2027 6th Round Pick<\/p>\n
Commanders Send: 2026 Conditional 7th Round Pick<\/p>\n
Colts Send: WR Alec Pierce + 2026 7th Round Pick<\/p>\n
Texans Send: OT Blake Fisher + 2027 6th Round Pick<\/p>\n