The Pittsburgh Steelers turned everything around in their Week 9 win against the Indianapolis Colts. A loss may have prompted them to consider trading some pieces like Alex Highsmith and Pat Freiermuth, but at this point, it's very fair to assume that they will stay through Tuesday's trade deadline. In fact, they could still continue to add. They did acquire safety Kyle Dugger from the New England Patriots, and the front office could keep going. Dugger proved to be a key piece in his team debut, so maybe Pittsburgh could find other bargain pieces to try and steal more wins.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Kyle Dugger in his first ever practice for the Steelers after being acquired from the New England Patriots.
However, the Steelers are not the only team whose plans changed in Week 9. In fact, a few teams had the opposite switch that Pittsburgh had, as they could be going from buyers to sellers. Knowing how aggressive General Manager Omar Khan is, it probably did not take long for him to jump on a phone call with these teams after the respective games concluded.
One of these teams is the Atlanta Falcons, who are on a three-game losing streak. Their Week 8 contest was rough, but starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was out then. He returned in Week 9 as they lost to the Patriots. At 3-5, they may already out of the running for the division, and their playoff hopes are slim. Khan may be looking at their lineup to see what he could snag.
After losing a defensive tackle for the season, the Steelers would likely be interested in veteran defensive tackle David Onyemata. He has started every game for the Falcons in 2025 so far, and he has shown some versatility in his eight years in the NFL. He could fill in on run defense for Pittsburgh and plug up the middle of the trenches.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers General Manager Omar Khan picks up the phone in the team's war room during the 2023 NFL Draft weekend.
The Washington Commanders are almost certainly going to be sellers. Not only did they get embarrassed on Sunday Night Football to fall to 3-6, but starting quarterback Jayden Daniels suffered a significant arm injury that almost confirms the team will look to trade players away, as reports say. There are a few options that the Steelers will be looking at. Head Coach Dan Quinn can't be happy with how the 2025 campaign has gone.
With the team falling to 3-6 — and now Jayden Daniels dealing with a significant arm injury — it’s fair to wonder how the #Commanders’ plans might change ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline, and whether they move some pieces. pic.twitter.com/hZYFq6MxHm
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 3, 2025
While the Steelers are loading up on ex-Patriots defensive backs, they may as well see if they can bring in a guy like Jonathan Jones onto the team. He has been a depth piece for the Commanders, and he also missed a bit of time due to injury. However, Pittsburgh seems to be frustrated with the play of Darius Slay, so the front office may want some sort of replacement there. Even if Jones doesn't start, he could be good depth if Slay is traded away, or benched.
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Then-Miami Dolphins General Manager Chris Grier seemed to be very reluctant to trade away core pieces of the team. After their loss on Thursday Night Football, he was promptly relieved of his duties, and now Miami seems to be very interested in trading players away. At 2-7, the Dolphins are not going anywhere, so they will most likely ship off whatever they can.
Bill Ingram / The Palm Beach Post
Dolphins' Jaylen Waddle (center) on the sideline with Tyreek Hill (left) and Wes Welker (right) during a contest.
Jaylen Waddle is still explosive and relatively young. The Steelers have most likely made calls to the Dolphins at this point, but there have been no reports about trade talks going anywhere if they have happened. With time ticking to the Tuesday trade deadline, it would not be surprising to see the two teams heating up their potential negotiations quickly.
What do you think about the Steelers going after teams that just changed their plans after a problematic Week 9 among other recent issues? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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