The simple fact of the matter is that the Pittsburgh Steelers are not a complete football team as of right now. While they lead the AFC North at 4-2, their loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7 proved that their defense still has a lot to work on. Even though Mike Tomlin's defense is top-five in sacks and one of seven teams with at least 10 turnovers forced on the season, the unit ranks 28th in total defense (374.7 yards allowed per game).
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Steelers' Omar Khan speaks to members of the Pittsburgh media.
The easiest way to improve any defense is to beef up the trenches, which is why Pittsburgh needs to make a call to the New York Jets ahead of the November 4th NFL trade deadline. As experienced and talented as Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, and Joey Porter Jr. are on the backend, they could use even more help from their teammates up front. The best way to help out any pass defense in the NFL is to find guys who can stop the run and make life hectic for the opposing quarterback.
While T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, Nick Herbig, and Alex Highsmith are a solid bunch, they could use another running mate in the trenches. This is especially true after the Bengals ran for over 140 yards and recorded 470 total yards against them a week ago. Below is what Tomlin had to say postgame regarding the wake-up call that the defense received from Joe Flacco and Cincinnati.
"We didn't do a good enough job of gap control," Tomlin said of his defensive line's performance. "They popped a couple big ones, and it kind of created an unsteady environment."
This is where the Jets should come into play. Steelers General Manager Omar Khan should make a play for Jets All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, whose career is seemingly being wasted in the Big Apple. The Jets are currently 0-7, and it could get even uglier.
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Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams.
If Khan was able to package a third- or even a second-round pick, along with a significant player to be named later, perhaps New York would consider that. Williams has made three Pro Bowls in his career and has 40 career sacks, along with over 100 quarterback hits. His 59 career tackles for loss are also notable.
Steelers Must Follow The Green Bay Packers' Strategy
The Green Bay Packers, who just so happen to be facing the Steelers this week on Sunday Night Football, are a team that has gone all-in on the 2025 season. This was known after they made the shocking move to trade for All-Pro edge-rusher Micah Parsons. The former Cowboy is coming off his first-career three-sack game last week, which came against the Arizona Cardinals. Not only will four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers have to deal with the emotional weight of playing his old team in prime time this weekend, but he will have to find a way to stay away from Parsons.
AP Photo / Mike Roemer
Micah Parsons celebrates his first sack as a member of the Green Bay Packers.
Again however, the Packers made the all-in move to add a powerful piece to their defense. They felt like they had a need on the edge and were willing to do whatever it took to bring in the sack master. This is the strategy that the Steelers need to use right now. They clearly have a need at the defensive tackle position on the other side of Cam Heyward, and in a conference that includes the likes of Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Justin Herbert, a powerful pass-rush and run-stuffing unit is a necessity.
If Khan were to pull the trigger on a trade for Quinnen Williams, Pittsburgh would have all of the necessary pieces on defense to become formidable once again. In doing so, they would position themselves for a potential deep playoff run, which is something the organization and fan base have coveted for close to a decade now.
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