Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt is a consistent Defensive Player of The Year candidate, but, in a division that houses elite quarterbacks in Baltimore and Cincinnati, general manager Omar Khan might be wise to continue bolstering quality depth at the position.
Last season, Pittsburgh produced 47 sacks as a team, but Watt accounted for 19 of them, as the only Steelers defender surpassing double-digits.
However, as the 2024 season looms, there might be a veteran edge rusher in need of a change of scenery who could significantly bolster the Steelers’ pass-rush depth.
Could Pittsburgh Steelers Trade For Joe Tryon-Shoyinka?
It isn’t often that a franchise trades away a rising 25-year-old pass rusher, but, if the Steelers sweeten the pot could wind up filling a glaring need with a player with plenty of upside. Especially in a new scheme.
Through his first two seasons, Tryon Shoyinka has logged just nine sacks but is coming off a 2023 season in which he added 26 pressures in 280 total pass-rush snaps.
Meanwhile, Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine put together a list of trades that could be made across the league before the regular season kicks off, including the Steelers prying Tryon-Shoinka away from the Buccaneers.
Here is the trade Ballentine proposes:
Pittsburgh Steelers Receive: Edge Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, 2025 seventh-round pick
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Receive: 2025 fifth-round pick
“Tryon-Shoyinka’s early success and pressure rates,” Ballentine writes for Bleacher Report. “Would hint at some untapped potential that just might not be reached in Todd Bowles’ defense.
“The Steelers’ primary needs might be at wide receiver and corner, but edge depth is a sneaky spot for improvement. T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith obviously do the heavy lifting, and Nick Herbig will eat up some snaps, but the Steelers don’t necessarily have a replacement for what Markus Golden gave them last season.”
Adding Tryon-Shoyinka would add a young player to continue building around, in exchange for a late-round pick which would likely otherwise be allocated towards a developmental type player.
Meanwhile, for the Buccaneers, trading away Tryon-Shoyinka would clear the path for second-round pick Chris Braswell to see the field immediately and play significant snaps, fresh off an eight-sack senior season at Alabama.
