The Pittsburgh Steelers are 6-2, tied for first place in the AFC North and riding a four-game winning streak. On Tuesday, though, the rest of the AFC's top contenders spent the trade deadline loading up while Pittsburgh stood still. Now the national grades are in, and they reflect that quiet day. With a first-place showdown against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night, the Steelers are heading into the second half with the same roster that got them here, while several teams they could meet in January got stronger.
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Steelers General Manager Omar Khan stands on the field before a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Yahoo Sports' Eric Edholm and Frank Schwab graded all 32 teams after the deadline, and they gave the Steelers a C. The grade was based almost entirely on a move General Manager Omar Khan made weeks ago, not anything that happened on Tuesday.
"The Steelers simply had enough with cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and traded him to the Cowboys."
The writers said getting a second-round pick and a sixth-round pick for Joey Porter Jr. was a good return for a player who had become a distraction. But Pittsburgh did nothing else, and that kept the grade in the middle of the pack.
The Steelers did try. They talked with teams about receivers, including Brian Thomas Jr. and Josh Downs, but nothing came together. SteelerNation covered Downs heading to Kansas City instead, and the Kansas City Chiefs got him from the Indianapolis Colts for fourth- and fifth-round picks, according to Yahoo Sports.
Head Coach Mike McCarthy made it clear on Monday that he trusted the front office with those calls.
"I have great confidence in Omar and Art, if there's something there, that we'll do the right thing," McCarthy said, via Steelers.com.
Steelers Watched The AFC Arms Race From The Sidelines
What makes the Steelers' quiet day stand out is what happened around them. The Jacksonville Jaguars, who host Pittsburgh in Week 14, earned an A- from Yahoo Sports after adding safety Jessie Bates III, defensive tackle Jordan Davis and defensive lineman Davon Godchaux. That aggressive push cost Jacksonville a first-round pick, but it made a 6-2 team even more dangerous. ESPN's Michael DiRocco already called the Steelers game the Jaguars' most important of the second half because of AFC playoff seeding implications. SteelerNation looked at how Khan lost out on Bates before that deal went through.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike McCarthy stands alongside General Manager Omar Khan as the two watch the team practice during 2026 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
The Buffalo Bills, No. 1 in Pro Football Talk's latest power rankings, earned a B+ for trading for safety Amani Hooker. The Denver Broncos, who visit Acrisure Stadium on Black Friday, added linebacker Daiyan Henley from the Chargers and got a B. Even the struggling Baltimore Ravens made moves, adding quarterback Jacoby Brissett and center Cam Jurgens, though Yahoo Sports gave them a C- for the price with Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley both on injured reserve.
There is one silver lining for Pittsburgh in the AFC North. The Bengals did nothing either, and they got a D from Yahoo Sports. The writers argued that Cincinnati should have done more with Joe Burrow playing at an elite level. The Cleveland Browns also stood pat and received a C, with the writers suggesting Cleveland should have moved wide receiver Jerry Jeudy.
That means the division race will be decided by the rosters as they stand right now. The Steelers already beat the Bengals 30-27 in Week 3, and a win in Cincinnati would give them a season sweep and control of the division.
Not everyone around the team is comfortable with that. Former Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley said watching other contenders add pieces while Pittsburgh stood still could be disheartening for the locker room, even one led by TJ Watt and Cam Heyward.
Still, the bigger picture is hard to ignore. The Steelers have Aaron Rodgers in what he has said is his final season, and the AFC's best teams just got deeper. Pittsburgh is betting on health instead, with wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. close to returning from injured reserve.
Whether that bet pays off will start to become clear Sunday night. A strong performance in Cincinnati would make the quiet deadline look like confidence. A loss would make it look like a missed opportunity.
This story was produced with the help of AI and reviewed by SteelerNation editors.
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