Steelers' Mike Tomlin's Indecisiveness At QB Is Seriously Hurting The Organization At The Trade Deadline

The Pittsburgh Steelers have some clear holes in their roster, which means General Manager Omar Khan will look to improve his team before the trade deadline on November 5th. Some obvious areas that need to be improved are wide receiver, and maybe some depth additions at cornerback. Pittsburgh has been active in the wide receiver market for the last three months, but Khan has struck out when it comes to landing a star receiver to pair with George Pickens. Unfortunately for Khan, his head coach isn't making anything easy for him.

Khan and the Steelers were heavily involved in trade conversations with the San Francisco 49ers during August to try and land Brandon Aiyuk, and they were in talks with the Las Vegas Raiders once Davante Adams became available. Obviously, Pittsburgh missed on both of these wide receivers as Aiyuk signed a new deal in San Francisco and Adams reunited with Aaron Rodgers on the New York Jets. 

The Jets were where Adams wanted to be traded to, and he got his wish. Another wide receiver was dealt when the Cleveland Browns traded Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills. Both of these organizations did right by their veteran receivers, as Las Vegas sent Adams to where he wanted to go and the Browns sent Cooper to a good organization in a great situation.

It's good these receivers are being dealt where they want to go, but this will make things harder for Pittsburgh. No receiver would want to go somewhere that has a heavy dose of the running game and doesn't have a defined starting quarterback -- and the Steelers have both of those things. Head Coach Mike Tomlin has been dancing around questions about a starting quarterback for the entire season, and he recently announced that both Justin Fields and Russell Wilson will be splitting reps with the first-team offense during practice.

Had Tomlin announced that he was sticking with Fields, or that Wilson is the sure-fire starter, Pittsburgh would be a much more attractive destination for a wide receiver. Pittsburgh needs to land a receiver that can contribute immediately - like a DeAndre Hopkins, but these veteran receivers want to win. Having a split decision at quarterback going into Week 7 isn't necessarily a recipe for success. 

Steelers Have Plenty Of Options At The Trade Deadline

Pittsburgh really wanted to land Adams, who was by far the best player available on the trade market. The organization won't find any other receivers on his level, but there are certainly some serviceable options who can be considered upgrades over what is currently on the roster. A good thing about Adams going to New York is that the move made Jets wide receiver Mike Williams available. Williams has had some injury issues throughout his career, but he could be a good addition that shouldn't cost more than a Day 3 draft pick.

Other receivers that may be available on the trade market include Hopkins, Christian Kirk, and Darius Slayton. There are also some options left in free agency, like Hunter Renfrow and Michael Thomas. Both receivers have had a rough past couple of seasons, but they have shown they can play at a high level.

The Steelers clearly need help in the passing game, and the organization should be exhausting all options before the deadline rolls around on November 5th.

Do you think Tomlin is hurting the team at the deadline? Let us know in the comments below!

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