Steelers' First Trade Of 2024 Training Camp May Not Be The Sexy One That The Fan Base Wants

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of preparation remaining prior to the 2024 season kicking off against the Atlanta Falcons. Some of the work won't be done on the field, but on the phones. General Manager Omar Khan could still be looking into acquiring a top-notch wide receiver to pair with George Pickens, but if anything has been learned during the Khan era, he can be unpredictable. The head of the front office is also seemingly always willing to make a trade if it makes the team better in any way. That goes for now and the future. There could be an opportunity emerging during training camp.

A position that could be valued even more in the 2024 campaign is kicker. Pittsburgh is set up nicely with Chris Boswell, but aside from kicking fields goals, the new kickoff rules are going to put more pressure on the players to strategically place the ball when kicking to an opposing team. They also may have to be a little more involved in getting downfield and helping secure the return man.

While a trade for a wide receiver may not be imminent, recent happenings with the Detroit Lions could potentially cause Khan to make a call over to the Motor City. Unfortunately, Michael Badgley tore his hamstring and will miss all of 2024.

The 90-man training camp roster for the Steelers includes a familiar face in Matthew Wright, who is almost there as a formality to make sure Boswell isn't too comfortable with his job security. While a team would have to be desperate to deal what would likely be a seventh-round pick, Wright has proven he can consistently accurately kick at the professional level.

It's fair to remark that Dan Campbell's very first transactional move after being hired as the Lions' head coach was signing Wright to a reserve/futures contract. There was interest back in 2021, and familiarity means something in the NFL. Detroit might have some interest in Wright, and it would be wise for the Steelers to pass him over for next to nothing given Boswell's prowess.

The Lions have Jake Bates rostered as well. After coming over from the United Football League, he has turned heads with his leg. He has enough strength to consistently nail 50+ yard field goals, but the NFL is a much different animal when it comes to pressure. Detroit will likely give him the nod as the starter, but once preseason games start ramping up, poor performances could quickly cause the organization to shift.

Wright makes sense because of some familiarity and plenty of experience, but Detroit may not be the only team interested in the kicker. Injuries are going to be more common in the new kickoff era for 2024 and having a little more security might have teams being more strategic about who is rostered. While it might behoove the Steelers to hold onto Wright, any franchise willing to pass along a late-round pick for him could be a better overall outcome.

Steelers Might As Well Try And Get Compensation For Wright Before 2024 Regular Season

If the plan for Pittsburgh is to eventually move Wright to the practice squad once the regular season rolls around, any other team throughout the league can sign him off of it. A training camp trade might not happen before games start being played, but if there are some unfortunate injuries that end up happening to kickers, Khan and co. could look to get some draft capital for Wright while they can.

Do you think NFL teams would trade for a second-string kicker? Let us know in the comments below!

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