Put together yourselves for my least fashionable opinion of the yr. Omar Khan, Mike Tomlin, and the Pittsburgh Steelers stood pat at deadline day. Countering weeks, months actually, of hypothesis that the crew would add a large receiver, Pittsburgh failed to spice up the passing recreation or some other place.
Maybe not for an absence of attempting. Had Travis Hunter not suffered a freak follow damage, the Jacksonville Jaguars may not have pushed for Jakobi Meyers, and the Steelers would possibly’ve landed him as an alternative. However outcomes are the outcomes, and the crew’s 53-man roster is unchanged from yesterday to immediately. The one strikes Pittsburgh made had been a follow squad shakeup. Mark Robinson and Daequan Hardy – go loopy.
A shiny new participant would’ve created buzz and pleasure to feed into the crew’s Week 9 win over the Indianapolis Colts. It’s simple to take a look at this group and picture it being one piece away. However a commerce wasn’t wanted. The group Pittsburgh has assembled is one that may win with out outdoors assist.
Vast receiver was the apparent suggestion. On paper, it’s comprehensible. Calvin Austin III has simply 19 receptions this season and the depth chart behind DK Metcalf has simply 31 catches. Roman Wilson made a major error with a fourth-quarter fumble in opposition to the Indianapolis Colts. However the development of this offseason is completely different than most—one the place the No. 2 receiver isn’t a focus.
The tight ends and operating backs obtain extra consideration, not regardless of Pittsburgh missing expertise, however as a characteristic of Arthur Smith’s offense. That position merely isn’t as precious as different programs or Pittsburgh’s days of yesterday that lined up with three receivers and had Ben Roethlisberger throw the ball across the yard all day.
Austin, to his credit score, has performed effectively. He’s accomplished every part the crew has requested. He’s proven his velocity, made robust catches, blocked arduous, and performed with nice effort and selflessness—the latter wanted given the diminished position. I’ve been crucial of his recreation prior to now however the development he’s displayed is commendable.
Wilson has come on stronger with a number of the greatest video games of his (albeit restricted) profession. Including a receiver would cut back their taking part in time, manufacturing, and development.
May that be price it? Positive, with the purpose to win now. Nevertheless, a No. 2 can be much less impactful for all the explanations talked about above. Catching a shifting prepare with Aaron Rodgers isn’t simple, both. Whilst Rodgers reunited with Davante Adams final season, the Jets’ offense didn’t discover its spark. A real outsider like Meyers, Shaheed or another person (besides Allen Lazard, which hardly would’ve been a needle-mover) would make for a taller mountain to climb.
This offense is working. It’s twelfth in scoring and seventh within the purple zone. The offensive line is rising, the operating recreation trying higher. The items are there.
Pittsburgh noticed final season with Mike Williams {that a} mid-season addition doesn’t produce the outcomes you suppose or hope. Giving up a fifth-round decide for him proved to be a nasty deal. Granted, Meyers or Shaheed provided extra expertise, and Pittsburgh’s offense is in a greater place to fold in a brand new face, at the least in comparison with final season. However what seems “proper” on paper doesn’t all the time play out on the sector.
The costs for these gamers weren’t low-cost. Meyers for a fourth and a sixth. Shaheed for a fourth and a fifth. Not fairly the Day-Two choices the media pushed for in the previous few days, which all the time felt like posturing anyway, however good hauls for gamers on expiring contracts on promoting groups.
The Steelers needed to carry onto their draft capital. Not only for the prospect of constructing the transfer for a first-round quarterback subsequent season. That will get the headline, nevertheless it’s not the one cause. Frankly, Day Three picks matter little on the subject of these sorts of offers.
Extra so, Omar Khan desires to make the most of an unusually great amount of projected draft picks so as to add youth to the roster. A wave of younger gamers to stability out what was an AARP offseason. It’s why the deal for Minkah Fitzpatrick concerned 2027 picks, not 2026, why George Pickens’ deal occurred after the draft, and why Khan made certain to get a decide again within the Dugger deal to at the least have the identical variety of draft picks. Even when the haul is rather less spectacular.
It’s fashionable and simple to “purchase” in these conditions. That’s the place intuition takes you. It’s Mike Tomlin’s mindset. However the strikes nonetheless should be the “proper” ones. That doesn’t all the time current itself.
Pittsburgh has the group to win. The Steelers are 5-3 and beat the highest two groups within the AFC – the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. The group should discover consistency and keep wholesome. These are the keys. It’s time to be assured within the coalition that’s been pieced collectively—an offseason of aggressive, “un-Steelers-like” strikes. There’s all the time the what-if, and until Pittsburgh hoists the Lombardi by yr’s finish, it’ll be simple to look again and suppose Khan was too conservative. That worry can’t power a deal.
Generally, the very best strikes are those you don’t make. Omar Khan is dancing with the group he introduced. Good on him.
