3 more Steelers who could be traded with Diontae Johnson, Kenny Pickett gone
Whether it's been free agency or the trade market, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been extremely active thus far in the 2024 offseason. Yes, they obviously signed impact players like Patrick Queen, DeShon Elliott, and, yes, Russell Wilson. But we've also seen the Steelers trade away Diontae Johnson and Kenny Pickett while also landing Donte Jackson and Justin Fields by way of a trade as well.
On the whole, it does appear that the Steelers are in a better position than they were coming into the offseason. But with the NFL Draft looming, there is still even more room for the roster in Pittsburgh to improve. And the Steelers could up their opportunities to do so by staying active in the trade market.
But who could the Steelers still trade away? There are at least three players who would make sense to cut ties with and recoup some more draft picks along with cap space by moving them on the trade market.
3. Steelers could trade LB Elandon Roberts
Amid the litany of linebacker injuries that plagued the Steelers last year, Elandon Roberts was a steadying force for much of the year, even if he also missed time due to injury in his own right.
The veteran came into Pittsburgh and played solidly basically across the board. He's a free-wheeling player at the position who has the athletic traits and experience to do a lot of things, even if there isn't a scheme fit where he's necessarily a natural. But for the Steelers with the depth chart thinning to extreme degrees in the 2023 season, he was a key cog.
But the addition of Patrick Queen in free agency complicates things for Pittsburgh's linebacker room moving forward. All things considered, Queen is essentially a younger iteration of the type of player that Roberts is, an athletic player in the middle of the field who can just be unleashed but has his shortcomings in traditional roles of the position.
That leaves the Steelers in a spot where they have a newcomer and more health at linebacker right now and could save $3.5 million by trading Roberts. With the money they invested in Queen this offseason, along with Cole Holcomb being a more natural fit alongside the newcomer, trading Roberts and saving some money while also accruing another Day 3 pick could behoove the Steelers.