The Steelers are headed into the trade deadline as buyers, and the need is obvious: receiver. At 6-2 and sitting atop the AFC North heading into the bye week, Pittsburgh is in position to push again, but the passing game still needs real help if this team wants to do more than flash in spurts.
That’s the tension here. DK Metcalf has been up and down, Germie Bernard has done useful work underneath, and Roman Wilson and Michael Pitman have been limited by injuries and inconsistency.
But the answer is not just to chase a name and pay whatever it takes. Aaron Rodgers isn’t playing great football right now, and throwing major draft capital at a receiver without a clear long-term fit would be a bad bet.
With that in mind, there are three wideouts the Steelers should think twice about.
Josh Downs is the easy place to start. He’s a good player - quick, slippery, and dangerous once the ball is in his hands.
He can work as a slot option and help an offense move the chains. But the fit comes with baggage.
The style he’d bring is built around short-area work, and if Rodgers is only around for the short term, that kind of addition doesn’t make a ton of sense beyond this season. Downs is also on an expiring contract, which makes him look more like a half-season rental than a true solution.
Then there’s the price. The Colts reportedly want a third-round pick, and that’s a steep ask for a receiver who has never topped 805 receiving yards in a season.
Even if the cost drops to a fourth, it still feels rich. Unless Indianapolis backs off that asking price, Downs looks too expensive and too redundant for Pittsburgh.
Ladd McConkey brings a similar problem, even if he’s the better overall player. He’s a polished slot receiver with clean routes and a knack for getting open.
He’s also more versatile and has already had more NFL success, though his best season came as a rookie and his production has dipped since. Still, the same concern applies: he overlaps with what Bernard is already giving this offense.
The cost would be heavy, too. A day two pick sounds like the floor, and it’s easy to imagine the Chargers pushing for a second-rounder.
If Bernard weren’t already making progress, this would be easier to justify. As it stands, the price and the overlap make McConkey a tough fit.
Brian Thomas Jr. is the most intriguing name of the group. He was electric as a rookie and looked like the next big LSU receiver, but since then he’s fallen off and doesn’t seem to be in favor with the Jaguars’ staff. If Pittsburgh could get him for a fourth-round pick or a pick swap, that would be worth serious consideration.
The problem is that it probably won’t be that cheap. Marvin Harrison just went for a second-round pick despite underperforming Thomas so far, and that likely sets the market.
Even a third-round pick feels steep given where Thomas is right now. The appeal is obvious: he’s the best fit of the three and could give the Steelers another big outside target.
But if the price gets pushed too far, that upside could turn into a mistake in a hurry.
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