dpWith cutdowns just around the corner, I’m offering a couple of last-second trade ideas the Pittsburgh Steelers could consider. Hypothetical exercises of what makes sense based on the team’s roster construction and needs.
Let me know your thoughts on these deals and suggest any of your own below.
Trading Players
Scenario One
Cowboys Get: Kaleb Johnson, 7th-Round Pick
Steelers Get: 6th-Round Pick
A trade scenario hypothesized many times already this summer. Dallas is thin at running back and could use a No. 3 on its roster. The Cowboys showed moderate interest in Johnson ahead of last year’s draft, having a formal meeting with him at the Combine.
Based on his summer showing, there’s little belief Johnson will make the Steelers’ roster or what value he could offer it.
Even with Johnson having three years left on his deal, 2026 included, his appeal is minimal. Running backs typically don’t have the value of high-priority positions like offensive line and cornerback. Teams won’t spend too much on a player they could claim off waivers, but a trade still guarantees Dallas lands Johnson. The pick swap makes it a minor move. Pittsburgh gets back the sixth-round pick it sent to Dallas as part of the George Pickens trade.
Scenario Two
Rams Get: Kaleb Johnson, 7th-Round Pick
Steelers Get: 6th-Round Pick
Identical trade terms but a far less discussed team. Many projections have the Rams keeping four running backs, making it more palatable to keep someone like Johnson. Johnson was at his best in Iowa’s offense with plenty of tight ends and under-center runs. Last year, Sean McVay transformed the Rams offense from 11 personnel and shotgun-heavy to full of 12 and 13 personnel. Per Sumer Sports, Los Angeles ran 331 snaps out of 13 personnel in 2025. The next-closest team was the Steelers with 140 of them.
ESPN recently noted that the Rams led the league in under-center snaps a year ago at a whopping 60 percent of the time. Los Angeles was one of just three teams to do so on more than half its snaps.
That makes for a better fit for Johnson even if he’ll have to adjust to the Rams’ more gap-heavy scheme than the outside zone system Johnson was part of at Iowa. As a bigger and slower back, that could fit Johnson’s skill set better anyway. Los Angeles just traded RB Jarquez Hunter, competing for a roster spot, to the Miami Dolphins for WR Tutu Atwell. Maybe that means rookie Dean Connors is getting the spot instead, but it makes the roster math easier for someone like Johnson.
Los Angeles has shown no fear in trading draft capital for players, and this would be a minor deal. As with Kevin Dotson, putting a player in a position better suited to their talents can transform careers, and the Rams could make the same calculation with Johnson.
Trading For Players
Steelers Trade: 5th-Round Pick
Cowboys Trade: WR Ryan Flournoy
If the Steelers feel like they need to make another wide receiver move before the season because they don’t have enough trust in Roman Wilson or Germie Bernard, Flournoy could be the answer.
The issue with trading for a wide receiver is him getting up to speed in Mike McCarthy’s offense. Ideally, Pittsburgh targets someone already familiar with it. Flournoy fits that bill. A sixth-round pick of Dallas in 2024 ahead of McCarthy’s final season, injuries and talent ahead muted his impact as a rookie, but he ascended and played well last season under Brian Schottenheimer. He finished the year with 40 receptions for 475 yards and four touchdowns.
Flournoy currently slots as Dallas’ No. 3 wideout behind CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. But UDFA Camden Brown has impressed all summer, with some analysts wondering if Flournoy could get traded.
Dallas has good reasons to stand pat and keep Flournoy. Depth is key, and Pickens isn’t guaranteed to re-sign after the year. But if Pittsburgh can present a strong enough offer, the Cowboys might budge.
Dallas is without a fourth- and fifth-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. The Steelers sending a fifth would return the pick the Cowboys sent as part of the George Pickens trade, the inverse of the above Kaleb Johnson deal.
This isn’t to say Pittsburgh should do this. And it seems doubtful, knowing the team was happy enough with Roman Wilson to not even dress him Thursday while Germie Bernard scored his first touchdown. Humor me as I humor those who’ve asked for outside options. But if they want more receiver help and someone who can pick things up fairly quickly, Flournoy is a worthy target.
Final Thoughts
I thought about and even wrote scenarios in which the Steelers trade QB Mason Rudolph and OT Broderick Jones. Rudolph seems cemented in Pittsburgh, so even if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets, or Miami Dolphins came calling, the Steelers may have little interest in moving him. Jones is healthy, but his preseason play hasn’t been inspiring, even if young and versatile tackles like Jones have a baseline market.
I kept it simple with Johnson, an easy-to-connect trade piece, and a trade for a wide receiver. There just weren’t many other trade ideas that jumped out to me, limiting this list.
