It's strange, certainly, that we are sitting just days ahead of the NFL trade deadline, with big-name receivers like Davante Adams, Amari Cooper, DeAndre Hopkins and former Steeler Dionate Johnson already having been moved, and yet the Steelers themselves have remained on the sidelines.
This was a team that appeared set to be aggressive in finding another weapon to line up beside star George Pickens, a player who could be reliable over the middle while posing another deep-ball threat for quarterback Russell Wilson. Remember how close Pittsburgh was on adding 49ers star Brandon Aiyuk?
With some of the big names having been wiped off the board and with the receiver market tightening, it might be ebst to lower the expectations for the Steelers ahead of the Nov. 5 NFL trade deadline. But it still feels like Pittsburgh needs to do something to address the thinness of the wide-receiver group.
And trading for veteran Adam Thielen would qualify as something even if it did not vault the Steelers into Super Bowl contention. But at CBS Sports, in the site's latest mock draft, the prediction is that Theilen to Pittsbrugh is the move.
As draft analyst Josh Edwards wrote this week:
"Carolina already moved on from Diontae Johnson this week. It would not be a surprise if Jadeveon Clowney or Thielen were next on the chopping block. This season is lost for the Panthers and acquiring draft capital that can help them in the future should be the objective. Pittsburgh is lacking in pass game options, so Thielen would be a synergistic relationship."
Theilen is not the Pro Bowler he was in Minnesota back in 2017 and 2018, but he is still an effective slot receiver who can give Wilson a reliable release valve when he scrambles. Thielen is dealign with a hamstring injury that has kept him out since Sept. 22, but hamstrings do have a way of healing quickly after trades.
For the season, Thielen has eight catches for 109 yards in three games, though he si coming off a year in which he caught 103 passes for 1,014 yards. He is in the second year of a three-year, $25 million contract, though 2025 is not a guaranteed year.
