The Pittsburgh Steelers have gotten their trading started earlier than they had hoped for. The team was forced to ship Joey Porter Jr. out of town due to his apparent hold-in that kept him out of games. That trade is not very helpful for 2026 or 2027 unless they use that 2028 second-round pick to move up in the next draft. Either way, General Manager Omar Khan will have to make that selection work out to help remove the stench of this terrible saga, among other questionable decisions recently.
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Steelers' Omar Khan in Latrobe at training camp ahead of the 2026 season.
The Steelers usually are active around the trade deadline now that Khan is the general manager. After Week 2, they are sitting at 2-2 with plenty of time to see how the season shakes out and if it's worth it to buy or sell pieces later on. If they are hovering around .500 by that time, it will be interesting which way the team decides to go when it reaches that crossroads.
Jonathan Jones would not be surprised if the Steelers end up selling when that time rolls around. In his latest article for The Athletic, he named one player in particular that teams around the NFL are reportedly keeping tabs on for the upcoming trade deadline.
"After shaking down sources this week, I’m keeping an eye on a number of players [that could be traded]: Steelers OLB Alex Highsmith..." Jones said. "For now, it’s quiet."
Edge rusher Alex Highsmith has been in trade speculation for a while now. This is nothing against the player himself, as he has poured his heart and soul into the team with no character concerns in the slightest. Through four weeks, the injury bug has not popped up for him, which is a positive sign after he missed 10 games over the previous two seasons with lower muscle issues.
Highsmith was great in Week 1, as he racked up two sacks and two tackles for loss in the contest. In the previous three games, however, he only has one sack and three tackles for loss, with most of that coming in Week 2. He put up a blank scorecard in Week 3 and nearly did the same on Thursday Night Football. Hopefully, that will get fixed in the near future.
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Sep 20, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots offensive tackle Will Campbell (66) blocks Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) in the first half at Gillette Stadium.
The big reason for the trade speculation is obvious: money. It's hard to build a team with high-quality depth when the third-string edge rusher is making $25 million per year. Nick Herbig is an explosive pass rusher who thrives off of getting so many one-on-one matchups; although, he has played off-ball linebacker a lot in 2026. He would be better off going back to outside linebacker full-time.
Herbig's extension hasn't started yet, so he won't get dealt due to the dead cap he would bring. Meanwhile, TJ Watt is back to playing at an elite level, and he is forcing himself back into the AP Defensive Player of the Year conversation. Pittsburgh can't trade him unless it gets an amazing offer. Highsmith is a very nice player, but with one more year on his contract, he is very tradeable.
Steelers' Cap Situation Heading Into 2027
As of Week 4, the Steelers are over $10 million in the hole for 2027. Even with the salary cap rising rapidly each year, Pittsburgh will need to free up some money to bring in free agents, along with signing their draft picks and having some spare money for the season. Trading Highsmith away would free up $15.5 million. The other obvious option would be to trade or cut Jalen Ramsey to save $21.7 million. Those two moves could be all Pittsburgh needs to do.
What do you think about the Steelers possibly shipping off Highsmith at the 2026 trade deadline, as well as the salary cap situation as a whole? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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