The Pittsburgh Steelers Will Regret This Trade...

Steelers Will Regret One of Two Trades Made as Part of 53 Man Roster Finalization

Before the final 53-man roster was announced for the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday evening, the team made two trades with NFC teams. 

Broderick Jones to Dallas

Offensive lineman Broderick Jones was traded to the Dallas Cowboys along with a 2027 fourth-round draft pick. In return, the Steelers received a third and sixth-round pick in 2027. For a player who hasn’t quite been what the franchise intended him to be, that’s not a bad return haul. Jones was the Steelers 2023 first round pick, and has struggled since coming into the league. 

Originally drafted as a left tackle, Jones was forced to play right tackle during his rookie season. The back and forth between positions affected his development, and has had him all out of sorts during his young NFL career. Jones struggled with holding and false start penalties consistently, along with giving up too many sacks. 

Time will tell if Dallas is able to develop Jones into the player that he was drafted to be. But as far as the Steelers, their experiment with Broderick Jones has concluded. 

Kaleb Johnson to Green Bay

The trade of Kaleb Johnson is more interesting than Jones to Dallas. Johsnson is only in his second year in the NFL. Pittsburgh drafted him in the third round of the 2025 draft. Johnson excelled at Iowa, rushing for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns in his final year with the Hawkeyes. He earned First-Team All-Big Ten and was named a First-Team All-American in 2024. When the Steelers selected him in the third round, it was thought of to be a steal.

Unfortunately for Johnson, he was never given a real shot during his rookie season. He served in mainly a reserve role white struggling to see any consistent playing time. Sitting behind veterans Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell, there just wasn’t room for Johnson in the Pittsburgh offense. He saw some special teams action, but that isn’t what he was drafted to do. 

Coming into the 2026 season, Johnson was thought to see more production. Unfortunately that went out the window when the Steelers signed Rico Dowdle. Any chance of Johnson being RB2 went out the window. It has been pretty clear over the past few weeks that there was a chance he was getting sent away. With the news of Josh Jacobs being put on the commissioners exempt list, Green Bay is in desperate need of depth. 

Pittsburgh sent Johnson to the Packers for a 2028 sixth round pick. The compensation for a player with as much potential as Kaleb Johnson seems low, but the deal is done. 

Moving Forward for Pittsburgh

After making these trades, the Steelers were able to finalize their roster and announce the 53-man team. In reality, the offensive line probably saw an upgrade. However, the running back room lost a player that may have a breakthrough with his next