Tuesday is the deadline for the Pittsburgh Steelers to trim their roster to 53 players. But that’s not the deadline to stop shaping the roster. With more than 1,100 players flooding the free agent market, the Steelers could be looking to add depth and strengthen the final depth of their roster. Steelers reporter Mark Kaboly expects general manager Omar Khan to be busy the rest of the week.
Kabouri tweeted his thoughts on Sunday, The Steelers plan to “go shopping” after making cuts.
Apparently Steelers GM Omar Khan will be out shopping on cutdown day.
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) August 25, 2024
This is consistent with what Khan did in his first two years after the cuts. In 2022, he made two trades at the deadline, acquiring OG Jesse Davis and OLB Malik Reed. Neither player made an impact, and Reed proved to be an unwise trade. The team was in dire need of a replacement for TJ Watt after Week 1, but he was undersized and vulnerable to the run attack. But it was a tweak to upgrade the roster at the same time as the cuts.
Last season, the team was not aggressive in terms of recruiting. Kahn traded away two players, OG Kevin Dotson and C/G Kendrick Green, but also signed CB Desmond King 48 hours after being cut. Like Reed, King was not what the team had hoped for and was sent back into the free agent seas in mid-October.
Moves made during or after the cutdown have been common under coach Kevin Colbert, with annual examples of players being put in the shopping cart before Week 1.
2023: CB Desmond King (contract)
2022: OG Jesse Davis (trade), EDGE Malik Reed (trade)
2021: CB Ahkello Witherspoon (trade)
2020: QB Josh Dobbs (signed), S Sean Davis (signed), P Dustin Colquitt (signed)
2019: CB Joe Haden (contracted)
Of course, this list is a reminder that sometimes the items on the shelf are out of date. King and Reid were not successful additions. Witherspoon was a key piece late in 2021 but fool’s gold the next year. Dobbs threw five passes in 2020, Davis was little more than a special teamer and Colquitt was waived before Halloween. Haden was the biggest and best addition.
Let’s fast forward to 2024. Where will Pittsburgh look for help? The secondary seems likely to get at least one upgrade. The cornerback depth is weak on the outside and in the slot, and there’s even discussion of a fifth safety. Pittsburgh could be looking at wide receiver while the Brandon Aiyuk situation looms. Adding a stronger backup center than Ryan McCollum would be reasonable, and I’ve advocated for the team to add a pure special teams player like former Steelers WR Miles Boykin or Philadelphia Eagles CB Zeck McPherson (unfortunately, my suggestion of Houston Texans S Brandon Hill is no longer around).
It’s hard to believe that the Steelers roster flying out to Atlanta will be made up of the same guys that are on the team right now. Pittsburgh has strengths at many positions, including running back, tight end, defensive line and inside linebacker, but there are a few positions worth addressing.
