Steelers Secret Weapon: High- End Receiver Still Within Reach at…

With the trade deadline looming, the Pittsburgh Steelers have currently not made a move to acquire another wide receiver for their roster. After numerous stories about the Steelers pushing for Brandon Aiyuk, Davante Adams, and Cooper Kupp, none have been successful. With Diontae Johnson traded in the offseason, a need for another wide receiver to help out George Pickens was clear. Some of the top names have been traded or stayed put with their teams, but there are still some decent options out there for the Steelers. One wide receiver who has been mentioned to be on the market, Steelers fans saw up close and he proved to be a beneficial option.

On ESPN’s morning show Get Up, Dan Orlovsky said Darius Slayton is the guy the Steelers and Omar Khan should trade for before Tuesday’s trade deadline at 4PM ET.

“I would call the New York Giants and see if they’d be willing to trade Darius Slayton,” Orlovsky said. “I think Darius Slayton is a sneaky high-end wide receiver in this league. He can win one-on-one. He’s got vertical speed.”

During Week 8 against the New York Giants, the Steelers saw Slayton put up 108 yards on seven catches against them. Slayton was drafted in the 2019 NFL draft in the fifth-round by the Giants. He’s been a consistent and explosive receiver for New York, averaging 15.1 yards per catch in his career. Slayton is still 27 and doesn’t turn 28 until January 2025, so the Giants may want to hold on to a still young receiver. However, they do have two young receivers in Wan’Dale Robinson and star rookie Malik Nabers, so getting ride of Slayton wouldn’t hurt their receiver room as much. 

Although he’s not a star veteran receiver, Slayton still has six seasons under his belt and could be a huge help for Pickens as he continues to mature and grow each season. The Giants are looking for either a sixth or seventh-round pick for Slayton, but it hasn’t been reported if the asking price has gotten higher for him. It’s not known if the Steelers will have a sixth-round pick to give to the Giants yet since in the Justin Fields trade, they gave up a conditional sixth-round pick to the Chicago Bears. The pick could turn into a fourth-round if Fields plays over 51% of offensive snaps, but with Russell Wilson starting, it seems unlikely it’d become that.

Steelers could still give up their seventh-round pick, but with Slayton being second in receiving yards for the Giants, they may not want a pick in the last round of the draft. Although, trading Slayton would save $1.8 million in cap space for the Giants. There are still other options for the Steelers at wide receiver on the market, but Slayton could be the best option that wouldn’t cost the Steelers that much.

Steelers’ Offense Can Still Be Efficient Without A New Receiver

Trading for a wide receiver to add to the offense is ideal, but the Steelers’ current WR2 has been picking up ever since Wilson took the starting quarterback role in Week 7 against the New York Jets. Van Jefferson caught a touchdown against the Jets and in Week 8 against the Giants, Calvin Austin III recorded a touchdown as well. Wilson is spreading the field with his receivers he has now and the urgency to get a receiver has seemed to calm some nerves about the Steelers’ offense.

With the Steelers going into their tough second half schedule, time will only tell if the offense can continue to be a consistent threat on the ground and in the air. If Khan doesn’t get a wide receiver trade done and the offense struggles in the next few weeks, Steelers fans will question the decision of the Steelers’ front office.

Who do you want at the trade deadline?