Oct 26, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin reacts during the third quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Steelers Downslide Could Stop Trade Deadline Moves

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Ari Meyer | Last updated Nov 2, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The Pittsburgh Steelers may be in the middle of a spiral that could end up costing them the season.

After two straight losses that have been headline by a lack of adequate defensive play, the Steelers are facing the top team in the league, the Indianapolis Colts. With the trade deadline close to approaching, the discussion has also turned towards whether the team should be involved at the deadline.

At this point, it is unclear whether the team could benefit from better talent or better coaching. With that in mind, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette broke down what he believes the team should do when they get to deadline day. In a chat for the Post-Gazette, Dulac weighed what happened compared to what they may have done if the season had gone better so far.

"They were going to wait and see if they were going to be 6-2 before going all-in on maybe one more significant player," Dulac said. "But they might be staring at 4-4 so they are less inclined - understand everyone, less inclined - to do so."

Dulac is being quite pragmatic, looking at the way that the team has played in order to assess their future in the short term. With that in mind, it seems likely that the Steelers will not be one of the more active teams at the deadline. There are too many that are possible to fix, yet there is also a small chance they pull it all together, and they would not want to part with any significant pieces in that case.

So What Now?

With the Steelers facing a division that seems to improve each week and their defense floundering, they may be best off going for a free agent move in order to move the needle. The free agents remaining are not too enticing, but they may be able to transform a player who has not gotten their fair shot in the league to this point.

Teams that have a top player in the secondary are unlikely to trade them for anything, as they come at a premium these days in the NFL. With that in mind, the Steelers would have to give up significant draft capital in a season where they will host the NFL Draft in order to take a shot on a player who may be on the downturn.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: