Steelers' Latest Defensive Line Injuries Make DeForest Buckner An Urgent Trade Target

The Pittsburgh Steelers have reached the part of the season when defensive-line depth stops being a luxury. One important young defender is already on Injured Reserve, and a veteran who helped cover for him has now joined him. Pittsburgh's remaining linemen can handle more work, but that approach gets considerably less appealing with a playoff race ahead. Meanwhile, a struggling AFC team has a productive veteran whose contract makes him a fascinating trade candidate—and a potentially expensive short-term solution.

DeForest Buckner is the name Pittsburgh should at least investigate before the trade deadline. The Indianapolis Colts are 2-4, have fired their general manager, and possess a 32-year-old defensive tackle producing at a high level on a contract that expires after this season. The Steelers, meanwhile, have lost Derrick Harmon and Sebastian Joseph-Day to Injured Reserve.

Pittsburgh placed Joseph-Day on IR Thursday after a triceps injury, ruling him out for at least four games. Harmon, the team's 2025 first-round pick, has been sidelined with a foot injury since the Cleveland game. The latest loss up front arrived just before Sunday's matchup with the New Orleans Saints in Paris, making an already thin rotation less forgiving.

Cameron Heyward remains the anchor, with Keeanu Benton and Yahya Black absorbing important work. Rookie Gabriel Rubio has impressed since finally getting an opportunity, while undrafted rookie Kevin Jobity Jr. could enter the game-day picture. Those are useful pieces. They are not a good reason to assume Pittsburgh can lose two experienced linemen and carry on indefinitely without consequences.

Buckner brings a different level of proven production. The three-time Pro Bowler has four sacks through six games, and his interior pressure forces offenses to account for him before worrying about the rushers outside. He would not duplicate Joseph-Day's responsibilities exactly, but he could help Patrick Graham keep bodies fresh while offering another way to disturb quarterbacks from inside.

His appeal goes beyond one name added to the depth chart. An interior rusher who wins quickly can prevent quarterbacks from simply stepping up when TJ Watt or Alex Highsmith threaten off the edge. That is a different kind of protection problem for an opponent to solve, especially when Graham wants to rotate without losing all of his disruption.

The catch is that Indianapolis has not declared Buckner available. As mentioned, the Colts fired General Manager Chris Ballard on Monday following their loss to the Tennessee Titans, prompting speculation about whether a disappointing season could lead to veteran trades. CBS Sports examined Buckner as a possible trade candidate, but that was an analysis of what Indianapolis could do, not reporting that an offer or negotiation already exists.

Buckner has hardly sounded delighted with the direction of his team. “I'm sick and tired of the same song and dance every year,” he said after the Titans loss. That frustration is not a formal trade request. Indianapolis ownership has also emphasized that winning remains the goal despite the front-office shakeup. Treating a possible sale as certain would be getting ahead of the people making the decisions.

There is an even more important piece of this conversation: Buckner is on an expiring contract and is scheduled to become a free agent in 2027. His deal automatically voids in February. The $7.2 million listed for 2027 on salary-cap websites is Indianapolis' void-year accounting, not another season of Buckner's salary and not a contract year Pittsburgh would inherit.

A team acquiring him would take on the applicable remaining 2026 compensation, not the Colts' entire $26.6 million cap number. Buckner has a $13 million base salary this season, so the financial obligation would depend on how much remained unpaid when a deal was completed. None of that buys Pittsburgh control for 2027. Keeping him beyond this season would require a new agreement.

There is a reason Indianapolis might at least weigh the return. The Colts do not own their 2027 first-round selection after last year's trade for Sauce Gardner, and moving an expiring veteran could replenish draft capital. But the same roster-building logic can run the other way: an organization still trying to win may not want to remove one of the few defensive players consistently producing.

That turns the question for Omar Khan from whether Buckner is talented enough into whether a rental is worth the draft capital. Other contenders could have interest in a disruptive interior defender, and Indianapolis has every incentive to ask for meaningful value if it decides to listen. Pittsburgh should not treat any hypothetical price as an agreed trade package.

Steelers Have To Weigh A Short-Term Fix Against Their Future

My view is that Khan should make the call. Asking Heyward to carry an even heavier workload at this stage of his career is a poor substitute for having another proven contributor, and a young lineman like Rubio should earn his snaps without being expected to replace two injured veterans overnight. Buckner could make Graham's front considerably harder to handle.

But the Steelers should also establish a limit before negotiations go anywhere. Harmon is still part of the long-term plan, Joseph-Day can eventually return, and a high draft pick is too valuable to sacrifice casually for a player who could leave in free agency next spring. A trade only works if the cost matches the months of football Pittsburgh would actually be purchasing.

There is no confirmed Steelers-Colts negotiation and no guarantee Indianapolis will sell. The circumstances justify interest, though: two injured Pittsburgh linemen, a veteran who can still disrupt an offense, and a contract that makes his future uncertain. Buckner could help the Steelers chase a playoff run in 2026. Khan just cannot mistake that for acquiring an answer in 2027.

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