Steelers' Brian Thomas Jr Trade Buzz Takes A Huge Step Forward Ahead Of Week 7

The Pittsburgh Steelers are getting ready to take on the New Orleans Saints in Paris, France as the NFL continues to expand their reach globally. When they take the field on Sunday, they will be without wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson. Earlier this week, they brought in a familiar name by signing Marquez Valdes-Scantling to the practice squad. As speculation has run wild about other names, including Chris Godwin, the team has been okay without their veterans, but can still use wide receiver help. On Saturday morning, another name was mentioned again that is expected to be traded before the deadline.

Rookie wide receiver Germie Bernard has stepped up well so far in the absence of the two veteran receivers for Pittsburgh. In last week's game, he secured his first NFL touchdown, which went on to stand as the game-winning score to secure the first road victory for Head Coach Mike McCarthy in his tenure with the Steelers. Despite Bernard starting to find his footing in the NFL, the team still needs help at the wide receiver position.

NFL senior national writer and reporter Jeremy Fowler discussed players around the league that are expected to be traded ahead of the league trade deadline on November 10th. Amongst those mentioned, he dropped the name of one AFC wide receiver that he anticipates will be moved. 

Brian Thomas Jr. has seen a decreased role in his usage for the Jacksonville Jaguars as other pass catchers have stepped up. One of those has been fourth-year wide receiver Parker Washington, who has eclipsed 400 yards receiving and has four touchdown catches on the season. Fowler is confident enough in Thomas being traded that it is not a matter of if he does, but rather who he will be traded to. General Manager Omar Khan now has a huge chance to make a move that helps out a banged-up receiving corps. 

He did a great job of being proactive in acquiring help for the roster this offseason, especially with the trade to acquire Pittman. However, the injury bug has hit him and the status of the rest of his 2026 season does not look promising. However, this new potential trade chip is a very intriguing name that would complement Bernard as well as veteran DK Metcalf. The offense has done a great job in producing points over the last couple of weeks despite injuries, but it may not be sustainable long-term. 

Steelers Have A Chance To Stabilize Wide Receiver Group With Thomas Trade

Khan now can stabilize the situation in the receiving group if he is able to pull off this move. Thomas had a tremendous rookie season coming out of college with the LSU Tigers. In that 2024 season, he had 87 receptions for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns on the year. While the potential has already been shown from him at the NFL level, his team does not see things the same as he has been limited in his production this year. Through six games played this year, he has just nine receptions for 105 yards and one touchdown. 

Thomas is not as big as the veteran Metcalf, standing at 6-foot-2, but he has the talent to be an exceptional second wide receiver alongside him. While the Steelers' offense has been consistently putting points on the board the last few weeks, they did get off to a slow start in their Week 6 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While they were able to generate a comeback, that type of offensive play is not going to hold up. That is why acquiring Thomas would be a huge acquisition for Khan and the organization. 

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