After striking out on their pursuit of San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, the Pittsburgh Steelers failed to find another solution for their shaky wide receiver situation.
But after four weeks of the 2024 campaign, and with the trade deadline rapidly approaching (Nov. 5), possible trade candidates at the position are starting to emerge.
We already know one of them in Davante Adams, who has requested a trade from the Las Vegas Raiders, which is the least surprising thing ever. Pittsburgh is interested, as they should be, and Adams is apparently open to the idea.
Adams won't be the only wide receiver available, though. ESPN's Dan Graziano thinks players like the Cleveland Browns' Amari Cooper, the Tennessee Titans' DeAndre Hopkins and the Jacksonville Jaguars' Christian Kirk could become available at some point — and he thinks the Steelers would be interested in them.
"Cooper would be one to watch for Pittsburgh, though it'd be an in-division trade, and those are tough to execute," Graziano said. "I would expect the Steelers to be in on Davante Adams, along with DeAndre Hopkins if he becomes available, and I do wonder about Christian Kirk in Jacksonville."
It's hard to fathom the Browns trading Cooper in the division, but it's the Browns, so anything is possible.
Hopkins is a realistic trade candidate, as he's on the final year of his deal and the Titans are going nowhere. The same can be said for the Jags in terms of going nowhere, although Kirk still has one more year left on his deal in 2025.
All four of those players would provide an upgrade for the Steelers, who are very thin behind their No. 1 wideout, George Pickens.
Cooper and Adams are the top-two options of the four. Hopkins takes a back seat to them after he admitted he'd be dealing with a knee injury all year. Kirk is a good receiver and would be a welcomed addition, but if I'm the Steelers, I'm making a play for the other three before him.
The Steelers making an addition at wide receiver feels inevitable given their current situation, but who they add remains to be seen.
