The NFL roster cutdown deadline is fast approaching. Much of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ day will consist of trimming down the roster from 91 to 53 players. At the same time, the team will be looking across the league to see what players might become available via cuts or potential trade partners. Under Omar Khan, Pittsburgh has made deadline deals to acquire (OG Jesse Davis, EDGE Malik Reed) and send away (C Kendrick Green).
Could the same happen during this year’s cutdown? There might not be a blockbuster deal coming through the door in an offseason full of them. But here are five sensible trade scenarios that could take place on roster cutdown day or in the 24-48 hours after.
Trade No. 1
Steelers Send: QB Skylar Thompson + 2026 7th Round Pick
Jets Send: 2026 6th round pick
Why It Makes Sense: Thompson has enjoyed a strong summer in Pittsburgh. It shouldn’t come as the shock it perhaps has. Thompson has started regular-season and playoff games, making preseason action against vanilla defenses easy work. Still, he’s generated enough value to quarterback-needy teams.
New York is one of those clubs. Justin Fields thankfully avoided a serious injury to start camp. Backup Tyrod Taylor wasn’t so lucky. He underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and may not be ready for the season opener. Adrian Martinez and Brady Cook are the only other quarterbacks on the roster. Neither has thrown an NFL pass.
In the 24-hour span from writing this to publication, the Jets traded two of their four 6th-round selections for defensive linemen. That makes this scenario slightly harder to believe but whether it’s another sixth or a future pick, the principle of the deal remains the same. Here, Pittsburgh sends back next year’s seventh as an add-on, effectively allowing them to move up 40-ish spots in the draft.
It beats cutting Thompson outright, where he may not want to sign onto the practice squad as a No. 4, assuming Will Howard is healthy and cleared for Week One. The only downside here is trading Thompson to the team Pittsburgh is playing Week One. So make sure the Steelers’ checks and audibles have been changed.
Trade No. 2
Steelers Send: P Corliss Waitman
Saints Send: 2027 6th Round Pick
Why It Makes Sense: Truth be told, it was hard to find a team in need of a punter. Most teams are happy with their situation, and even unproven names like the Jets’ Austin McNamara have seemingly done enough to earn their keep. But the Saints are an option. The team has two punters in camp, Kai Kroger and James Burnip, but it doesn’t sound like either name has cemented starter status.
Waitman filled in for Cameron Johnston throughout most of 2024 and punted well. He’s had an excellent leg, and it fits perfectly to punt indoors in New Orleans. Johnston could just as easily be subbed in, going to New Orleans. Whoever Pittsburgh chooses against will be shopped.
The Steelers couldn’t trade Braden Mann, but did send Brad Wing to the New York Giants a decade ago for a seventh-round pick. The Saints don’t have a 2026 seventh-round pick, and this post originally had Pittsburgh getting back a 2027 7th. Like the Jets, the Saints incredibly traded away that selection in the day since this post was finished, so I’m bumping it up to a future sixth-rounder.
Trade No. 3
Steelers Send: DL/EDGE DeMarvin Leal
Commanders Send: 2026 Conditional 7th Round Pick
Why It Makes Sense: It’s a stretch, no doubt. Leal has played out his time in Pittsburgh and seems likely to be released during the 26th’s cutdowns. For former high draft picks, I always check out the teams and coaches who showed pre-draft interest. One of Leal’s visits ahead of the 2022 draft was with the Dallas Cowboys. Dan Quinn served as the team’s then-defensive coordinator. He’s now leading the charge in Washington.
Leal could be a good fit as a 4-3 defensive end. That’s his ideal fit after bouncing between defensive end in Pittsburgh’s 3-4 and outside linebacker, playing the latter throughout training camp. Leal’s an impressive athlete who never found the scheme fit with the Steelers. Leal would be a reserve but could grab a spot at the end of the roster to possibly replace Javontae Jean-Baptiste, who reporters have noted has been injured for much of the summer.
In return, Pittsburgh adds another 2026 draft pick to its deep bench of selections. A potential one, anyway. The condition would be tied to games played/snap count. This deal has big Kendrick Green-type vibes.
Trade No. 4
Steelers Send: 2026 5th Round Pick
Colts Send: WR Alec Pierce + 2026 7th Round Pick
Why It Makes Sense: A deal with Pittsburgh getting a player in return. I’m barking up the same tree I have throughout the offseason. My case to land Pierce is even stronger now that Daniel Jones has been named the Indianapolis Colts’ starter. He won’t take the downfield shots Anthony Richardson routinely did, reducing Pierce’s value to the team.
Pierce is on the last year of his rookie deal, and the Colts have other options to throw to in Michael Pittman, Josh Downs, and AD Mitchell. Those factors make Pierce expendable, and his price tag won’t be high in trade or contract.
Pierce would immediately become a field-stretcher to produce big plays that the Steelers’ passing game is searching for. He has size, can block, and fits Pittsburgh’s scheme well. If not re-signed in the offseason, he could potentially bring a 2027 comp pick. But that’s not the reason for the deal. Pierce is a cheap No. 2 option to pair opposite DK Metcalf, while Roman Wilson and Calvin Austin III can still filter in, primarily working out of the slot in 11 personnel.
Omar Khan seems hesitant to part with 2026 draft capital. But this is a Day Three deal, and netting a seventh-round pick back keeps the number of selections the same, even if it’s a downgrade.
It’s a middle-of-the-road deal worth making, and if it’s not made at cutdowns, it’s one to monitor throughout the season. If the Colts’ season has gone south by the deadline (Indy hasn’t been .500 or better at the deadline since 2020), they’ll be looking to part with a vet unlikely to be re-signed. By then, Pierce’s price tag should be even cheaper.
Trade No. 5
Steelers Send: 2026 6th Round Pick + 2027 5th Round Pick
Texans Send: OT Blake Fisher + 2027 6th Round Pick
Why It Makes Sense: Pittsburgh needs offensive line depth in the worst way. The team entered training camp with questions that were only furthered and not answered. Veteran Calvin Anderson has been injured for three weeks, while Dylan Cook doesn’t look like the next man up. Enter Fisher.
A second-round pick of Houston in 2024, Fisher had a tough rookie year. But he came out of the draft as a young 20-year-old prospect who predictably took his lumps. Houston is one of the few teams with tackle depth after drafting Aireontae Ersery in the second round while signing Cam Robinson and Trent Brown (currently on PUP but moving closer to return), making someone like Fisher expendable. Houston doesn’t currently own a 2026 sixth-round pick. Getting one from Pittsburgh fills that gap.
Fisher has worked at both tackle spots and is an above-average athlete who fits in Arthur Smith’s outside zone-based scheme. Pittsburgh held a formal Combine meeting with him ahead of last year’s draft. Trading for him secures him under contract through 2027, which is why the Steelers give up an additional selection for him. Currently, the Steelers don’t have a 2027 sixth-rounder, while the Texans don’t have a 2027 fifth-rounder. This swap fills those gaps.
A complicating factor is Fisher’s recent ankle sprain, which has left him with an uncertain timetable to return. He comes with his own on-field warts. But good luck nabbing a high-end tackle this time of year, and Fisher is one of the few names who could seemingly be available in a trade.
