Shocking Trade Ideas Steelers Should Pursue Before 2022 Season

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The Pittsburgh Steelers should enter training camp with a good amount of confidence regarding their roster.

Mike Tomlin and his staff landed a potential franchise quarterback in Kenny Pickett during the NFL draft, and it bolstered the wide receiving corps with the selection of George Pickens.

Pittsburgh could have one of the most exciting young offenses in the NFL in 2022 with Najee Harris, Pat Freiermuth, Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson all in place.

The Steelers are not likely to make any massive waves on the trade market, but if they were to explore that avenue, there are a few shocking moves they could make.

The most shocking of them all would be a deal with the San Francisco 49ers for Deebo Samuel.

Samuel put in a trade request this offseason, and while it may not make sense to stunt the growth of certain players, the Steelers are competing in a conference with a handful of loaded offenses.

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We are here to bring you shocking trade ideas, not sensible ones.

Deebo Samuel is coveted by a handful of teams, including the one that currently employs him, and a deal would be difficult to manage.

A trade for Samuel would be one of the most un-Steeler-like moves we have seen from the franchise in quite some time.

After all, the Steelers moved on from Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown, so why would they bring in a wide receiver who is stirring up internal tension where he currently plays.

The upside of a potential Samuel trade is that Pittsburgh would have a loaded wide receiver corps to challenge any of the contenders in the AFC.

A Samuel-Diontae Johnson-Chase Claypool trio would provide a massive boost to Kenny Pickett in his rookie season, and it would hand the Steelers a better wide receiver group than the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North.

This deal makes little sense from a realistic standpoint since the Steelers would have to give up a few draft picks in return for Samuel.

The Steelers would not want to do that for obvious reasons with a young squad in place and draft picks likely to add to that new core over the next few years.

But one is allowed to dream even the slightest bit with the biggest name on the trade market.

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Remember the theme here.

Shocking, not sensible.

That would describe a potential trade with the Seattle Seahawks for DK Metcalf.

Metcalf has not requested a trade, but it would make sense if a move was made so that Seattle can enter a full rebuild with as many draft picks as possible.

Pittsburgh would only make a trade like this if it had doubts about the production of Johnson and Claypool.

The two wide receivers have given the Steelers some reason to worry in the last two years. Johnson had problems with dropped balls and Claypool’s totals dropped from his standout rookie season.

Pittsburgh added more depth through the draft with George Pickens, but he comes with a bit of apprehension because of an ACL tear he suffered at Georgia.

The worst-case scenario features less production from Johnson and Claypool in top roles and an underwhelming rookie season out of Pickens.

Metcalf would alleviate any concerns about the worst-case scenario coming to life, and he would give Pickett a true No. 1 wide receiver to work with for years to come.

Most of that last sentence was fan fiction that will not come to fruition. Pittsburgh will likely stick with its young core of players and allow them to experience growing pains throughout the 2022 season.

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A running back trade is less shocking than one for a wide receiver, but it would still make little sense when Najee Harris is the clear-cut top choice at the position.

Myles Gaskin could become available before Week 1 since the Miami Dolphins added a ton of running back depth in the offseason.

Gaskin may play third or fourth fiddle in the Miami offense behind Chase Edmonds, Raheem Mostert and Sony Michel.

In fact, the Michel signing may be writing on the wall for Gaskin’s tenure in south Florida, especially if the veteran impresses in training camp.

Pittsburgh has some nice backup options behind Harris, but there could be room for improvement.

Gaskin increased his rushing yard total in each of his three seasons in the NFL, and he has 97 receptions over that span.

The Steelers could bring in Gaskin as support for Harris more than anything, but he could also cut into the production of the second-year player.

Pittsburgh could be content with the running back room it has since Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland were also around last year, but it would make sense to at least explore the trade market if someone like Gaskin becomes available.