3 Pittsburgh Steelers who should be benched or worse during Week 9 bye week and why

The Pittsburgh Steelers will add at the NFL trade deadline. Despite being picked by some pundits (and Vegas) to linger around .500 this season and perhaps struggle to make the postseason, Pittsburgh leads the AFC North over the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals at the bye week.

Still, the Steelers have some questions to answer at the bye. Mainly, what moves should they make to improve the roster, and what does that mean for the 53-man outlook?

Omar Khan should be aggressive in finding a second wide receiver to play on the outside opposite of George Pickens. Frankly, Khan and the Steelers missed out on several players who would've fit perfectly in their system. The emergence of Russell Wilson in the passing game is ideal for a few reasons, namely that the Steelers are just one weapon away from being an explosive offense through the air.

However, this article isn't just about who the Steelers might acquire, but rather which current rostered players will suffer as a result. There's a downside to the business side of sports.

3. Roman Wilson likely won't be on the Steelers 53-man roster again this season

The Steelers drafted Roman Wilson in the third round with the hope he'd compete right away, and cement himself as a WR2 or slot option on offense. Instead, Wilson hasn't been able to stay healthy, and recent comments by Mike Tomlin don't make his prognosis sound positive long term.

"He missed some practice time because of the hammy and as we’ve talked repeatedly in this setting, Roman needs to work for me to really consider him. His participation got compromised some last week and so really once it got compromised, I moved on," Tomlin said.

Tomlin sounds frustrated with Wilson, who has since been placed on injured reserve. I'm not entirely sure whether it's Wilson's attitiude or injury prognosis that frustrated Tomlin, but the point remains that he was upset. The Steelers don't have time for these kinds of distractions.

2. David Perales isn't providing the depth he is supposed to for Steelers

I'd much prefer to give a bolder answer here, but the Steelers roster ought to be set in stone considering they are 6-2. Khan and Tomlin did a great job assembling this group, and as a result they've played up to expectations.

However, Pittsburgh doesn't offer a lot of depth at linebacker. David Perlales is on injured reserve and could be cut if the Steelers have an avenue. Perales is listed behind Patrick Queen and Tyler Matakevich as the left inside linebacker on Pittsburgh's depth chart. While he may be valuable on the practice squad, the Steelers would prefer not to find themselves in a situation where Parales is playing meaningful minutes.

Perales did slim down this summer in hopes of making the roster as a special teams contributor. Given how successful that unit has been under coordinator Danny Smith, Parales becomes replaceable, unfortunately.

1. Justin Fields likely won't be traded by Steelers, but he should be

Russell Wilson is the Steelers unquestioned starting quarterback, as he should be. In the two weeks since Wilson took over, he's opened up the passing game in ways Justin Fields never could. I'd be surprised if Fields were dealt on Tuesday, but Khan ought to be taking any and all phone calls for the former first-round pick.

In his six starts, Fields did prove that any interested party could build an offense around his skill-set and succeed. Will that offense lead a contender to the Super Bowl? Not so fast. However, Fields was 4-2, and showcased an elite understanding for running the football from the QB position. As defenses continue to hone in on stoping the passing attack, a dual-threat option could be attrative for several teams if Fields eventually reaches free agency.

So, why not get a head start and trade for Fields now? ESPN's Adam Schefter suggested that Fields could receive a contract north of $30 million next offseason. While I assume that's a bit steep, adding Fields to the roster now gives any interested team an advantage. It also provides the Steelers with the edge of timing.

Fields played well just a few weeks ago in a win over the Raiders, and was thusly benched for Wilson. As much as Pittsburgh may want to keep their QB plan in place in case of a Wilson injury, Fields has a lot of value. They should shop him and then some.