The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the market for a wide receiver before the NFL trade deadline, and Josh Downs has emerged as one of the names worth watching.
Indianapolis Colts wideout Josh Downs has drawn immediate interest from Pittsburgh, along with other teams around the league. Early reports in the process said the Steelers had already checked in on Downs after he requested a trade out of Indianapolis, though they were not alone in pursuing him.
Now there’s a clearer sense of what it might take. The Colts reportedly started by asking for a third-round pick for the 25-year-old receiver, but that asking price appears to have softened. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, one team has already put a fourth-round pick on the table for Downs.
“The Colts have told other teams that they already have received an offer of a fourth-round pick for wide receiver Josh Downs, who requested to be traded in the least year of his contract,” Schefter wrote.
“The Colts initially were asking for a third-round pick in return for Downs. But if they want, based on what they have told teams, a fourth-rounder is waiting for them.”
That puts the Steelers in a tricky spot. A fourth-round pick is a more manageable price for a player like Downs, but Pittsburgh doesn’t currently have one to work with in the 2027 NFL Draft. The team sent that pick to the Dallas Cowboys in a deal that brought back a third-round pick and a sixth-round pick in the 2027 draft, along with offensive lineman Broderick Jones.
So if Pittsburgh really wants Downs, it would have to get creative. The Steelers would need to put together a package that beats a fourth-round offer without actually having that pick, or they’d have to go beyond that and pay more. At this point, a third-rounder with a later pick coming back the other way looks like the most realistic path if they’re serious about landing him.
Downs isn’t the only receiver Pittsburgh has been tied to, either. The Steelers have also been linked to Tennessee Titans wideout Calvin Ridley and Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr., and they’ve likely made calls on several other possible targets as well.
So while Downs is firmly on the radar, he’s far from the only option. If he’s the one Pittsburgh wants most, though, the Steelers are going to have to either spend more or find a smarter way to structure the deal.
In Other News...
Steelers Receiver Search Could Define Their Passing Game Down The Stretch
The Steelers search for help at wide receiver is starting to look like one of the more important storylines ahead of the NFL trade deadline, especially with injuries and uneven production thinning out the passing game. Reports from ESPN say Pittsburgh has been active in discussions as it tries to add another target for the stretch run, with the front office weighing whether a move can give the offense a steadier answer on the outside.
Brian Thomas Jr. and Josh Downs have come up as the names to watch in those talks, while Calvin Ridley has also been mentioned as a possible option if the primary pursuit does not come together. Nothing has been confirmed, but the fact that Pittsburgh is exploring multiple paths says plenty about how seriously it is treating the position and how much the next move could shape the rest of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Early Draft Debate Is Already Taking Shape
With the 2027 NFL Draft still a long way off, the early national mock-draft chatter is already giving a sense of where the Steelers may be headed. Across six recent projections, Pittsburgh is being slotted to pick in the late 20s of the first round, and the names popping up around that range point to a familiar kind of debate for a team that always seems to be balancing immediate needs with long-term planning.
The spread of projected targets is wide enough to keep the conversation interesting, with quarterbacks, cornerbacks, a running back and a safety all showing up in the first-round mix. Pittsburgh also currently holds nine picks in the 2027 draft, giving it plenty of ammunition to maneuver if the board breaks a certain way, even if the team is not expected to get any extra help through compensatory selections. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Face One Brutal Test That Will Define Their Second Half
At 6-2 heading into the bye week, the Steelers have given themselves a sturdy foundation and a little breathing room, but the schedule waiting on the other side is where the real evaluation begins. The first half showed enough to keep Pittsburgh in the thick of the AFC race, yet it also set up a stretch where the margin for error gets a lot thinner against playoff-caliber opponents.
Around the league, the guesses on where this team finishes are all over the map, which says plenty about how much is still unsettled. The Steelers have shown strengths that can carry them, but injuries and the outcomes of the next few weeks could reshape the entire conversation about their postseason path, making the second half less about where they stand now and more about how they handle the pressure that is coming. [Read more 🡒]