Steelers May Be Contacted For A Strong Trade Opportunity By Chargers

The Pittsburgh Steelers and the rest of the franchises across the NFL are starting to try to figure out what shape their 53-man rosters might take. Nothing is set in stone at this point of the preseason, but some things have already been made obvious by this point in training camp and after a singular preseason game. For Pittsburgh, one of those things is the idea that this team might actually have to carry four quarterbacks on the active roster heading into the 2026 regular season. That is a rarity for an NFL team, and it is certainly unorthodox, but it has happened before.

The hard fact about keeping four quarterbacks on a roster is that another position group's numbers get hurt. It is more than likely that group for the Steelers will be the offensive line. Instead of keeping 10 offensive linemen, the Steelers will only be able to keep eight or nine. Rather than cutting an extra lineman, the smart thing to do would be to explore potential trade options. One player that may have minimal trade value for Pittsburgh is backup center Ryan McCollum. He filled in for Zach Frazier a little bit during the 2024 season, and he was very impressive. 

A center-needy team might come across how good McCollum was when he stepped in for Frazier back in 2024, and that could force them to make a call to General Manager Omar Khan. That general manager placing a call to Khan could be Joe Hortiz of the Los Angeles Chargers as his starter went down with a significant knee injury during Tuesday's practice.

Center is a position the Chargers have struggled with a lot over the years, and the team signed Tyler Biadasz to a three-year deal worth $30 million during the 2026 offseason. The Chargers were expecting their best center play in years, but this injury now puts them in a tough spot. Looking for external help is something Hortiz will have to do, and McCollum should be near the top of that list.

The Chargers losing Biadasz is tough for a team that has had significant offensive line injuries in nearly every season since drafting Justin Herbert. The injury luck in Los Angeles has been horrendous, and now the team should be in the market for some experience at center. The depth behind Biadasz on the roster currently is inexperienced. Jake Slaughter is a rookie with center experience who was looking like he might be the starter at left guard, while undrafted free agent Jacob Spomer has reportedly looked decent as well. If the team wants to keep Slaughter at left guard, a trade seems even more likely.

McCollum has started at least one game at center for the Steelers in each of the last two seasons, and he has been great as a backup. He would probably be the best center on the roster in Los Angeles if he were to be acquired. It wouldn't cost more than a low Day 3 pick.

Steelers Can Afford To Lose Ryan McCollum

McCollum is great, and he is a reliable depth piece behind Frazier, and some fans may question the organization if there is no true backup center on the roster. However, Brock Hoffman has NFL experience playing center from his time with the Dallas Cowboys while Mike McCarthy was his head coach. He could slot in as the backup center even if he wins the starting right guard job. In a scenario where Frazier goes down, he would move to center while either Spencer Anderson or Gennings Dunker takes his spot at right guard.

A trade like this would allow the Steelers to keep all four quarterbacks while also keeping both rookie offensive linemen, and other versatile pieces like Anderson and Broderick Jones.

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