Steelers' Questionable Trade Deadline Could Lead To Worst-Case Scenario

The Pittsburgh Steelers did not make a trade during the final days before the 2026 NFL Trade Deadline. General Manager Omar Khan made it clear that he did not want to give up any of his premier picks, and he couldn't find a good deal where he would give up late-round selections. That mindset was very frustrating to Steeler Nation, as fans voiced their concerns as the 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time deadline passed and no move was made. Hopefully, standing pat was the right move, but time will tell for sure. 

The Steelers were mainly interested in receivers like Josh Downs, who was reportedly available for a fourth-round pick. However, the Kansas City Chiefs sweetened the pot with a late-round pick swap to nab him. Khan was also interested in Calvin Ridley before he had an incident in the Nashville International Airport. In the end, Pittsburgh walked away with nothing in hopes that this team is built to go far in the playoffs.

There is a major flaw with that line of thinking, as Mark Kaboly spoke about during a recent appearance on Steelers Collective.

"You have to be concerned with depth right now because you are a hamstring away or a plantar fasciitis flare-up away from really struggling with this receiver group right now..." Kaboly said. "If somebody gets hurt, it's going to be a big issue here, and it's going to come back full circle."

The Steelers currently have two receivers on Injured Reserve: Michael Pittman Jr. with a foot injury that keeps evolving and Roman Wilson with a finger issue. Neither will return in Week 10, and their statuses for the weeks after that are up in the air. Because of that, Pittsburgh is very low on receiver depth for the foreseeable future. Practice squad players have been the team's WR3/WR4 over the past few weeks. 

Wilson's injury isn't expected to be a long-term problem, though. At the very least, dislocated fingers don't have a tendency to flare up, so he should be back to normal after everything heals up. Hopefully, he can pick up from where he left off, as he was finally having a solid season before he got hurt. There is no exact return date that has been publicized yet, but expectations are that he will be fine. 

Pittman, meanwhile, is in a very uncertain spot. He got injured back in training camp, and it never properly healed. That foot issue made him miss the Steelers' Week 2 game before he was placed on IR. He said that he has been running more each week to try and make it back, but he also spoke about how his foot injury evolved from one thing to another, so it's hard to be sure that it won't turn into yet another problem.

Ben Skowronek is expected to return in Week 10, but he is coming off a hamstring injury. Muscle injuries like that have a tendency to linger, and he will see plenty of snaps on both offense as the WR3 and as the primary special teams ace. With all of these issues happening at the same time, it's definitely a risk for Pittsburgh, as it will need at least two of the three injured wideouts to be healthy for this stretch run.

Steelers Need Help With Inconsistent Receiver Play

Injuries aside, the two starting receivers have shown flashes of great talent, but nothing consistent. Germie Bernard is still a rookie, so the occasional drop issues and mental lapses are somewhat excusable. DK Metcalf, however, has been outright bad in the previous two games after an 11-reception explosion before that. If injuries keep dismantling the receiver room, the lack of depth could do them in once January hits.

What do you think about the Steelers not trading for a receiver with all of these injuries? Let us know on X at @Steelers-ChrisB.

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