Stunning Analysis Reveals Steelers' Trade Deadline Plans Probably Won't Be What Fans Are Hoping

There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers as the team gets ready to play the AFC-leading Indianapolis Colts in Week 9. The outcome of the contest could determine how General Manager Omar Khan approaches the November 4th trade deadline. A record of 5-3 may be looked at much differently than one of 4-4. The front office could go in a couple of different directions. The need for help within the wide receiving corps has been clearly identified, but the defense also might need some serious assistance if the franchise has plans to make a deep playoff run.

Pittsburgh once had a record of 4-1 and the expectations were quite high, but a two-week stretch of awful play has fans and the media alike concerned. The Steelers won't look to sell as the deadline approaches, but that doesn't necessarily mean that Khan and co. will see value in giving up draft capital to acquire any certain player, either. There are a ton of questions surrounding the roster; however, the front office is not going to acquire someone just to say for the sake of saying it made a trade.

The Colts boast a record of 7-1 and are currently being viewed as the best team in the AFC. Indianapolis has a high-powered offense that is hard to stop, so Pittsburgh is entering the matchup as a home underdog for the second-consecutive week. A win could rejuvenate the locker room and coaching staff, but a loss could lead to many alarms being sounded in the Steel City.

Team reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Ray Fittipaldo, held his weekly chat for fans on Tuesday which resulted in plenty of questions from a group of individuals that had plenty of topics to complain about. Someone asked if a defeat at the hands of the Colts would warrant the franchise becoming a seller, but the insider doesn't necessarily see it that way.

"It would make zero sense to add through trades with the Steelers playing like this," Fittipaldo noted. "But the Steelers won't hold a fire sale either. They're not the Browns."

The more important part of the analysis is that based on the current state of the Steelers, and how they are playing football, it does not make any sense to give up valuable compensation to another team for a player. Pittsburgh's upcoming schedule is absolutely brutal, so it is not out of the realm of possibility that Mike Tomlin's group is fighting to stay above .500 for the season.

Tomlin-led teams have found ways to win games that they weren't supposed to several times in the past. As outlandish as it seems, the Steelers have an opportunity to upset the Colts on Sunday and change the current narrative surrounding the collective. A victory could trigger Khan to start calling around the league immediately, but it's also possible that a decision is made to do nothing because the 2025 campaign seems to be a complete coin flip in Pittsburgh.

A small and subtle move is not going to move the needle for Tomlin and co. On the flip side, making a splash deal may not make sense if the organization doesn't feel as if it is one trade away from competing for a Super Bowl. A lot is on the line in Week 9, and as it stands following Fittipaldo's chat, the reporter is under the impression that any aggressive activity should be looked at as unexpected.

Steelers Are Stuck In A Bit Of A Predicament

Buyers or sellers? Contenders or pretenders? These are questions that Pittsburgh's decision-makers must ask themselves internally. The team could very well be far away from winning postseason games, but if the defense magically figures itself out, the franchise may regret not trading for a wide receiver later on down the line. The end result following the trade deadline could strictly be dependent on the Steelers' ability, or lack thereof, to beat the Colts.

Do you think that the Steelers should simply do nothing at the trade deadline? Let us know in the comments below!

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