Steelers Trade Deadline: Khan Stands Pat Before AFC North Showdown
Pittsburgh talked to three teams about receivers, landed none and now heads to Cincinnati with first place in the AFC North on the line.
AFC contenders from Buffalo to Kansas City made moves Tuesday. Pittsburgh didn’t. The Steelers trade deadline came and went at 4 p.m. ET without a single deal, leaving a 6-2 team that leads the AFC North to chase a title with the same receiver room that has been banged up for weeks.
General manager Omar Khan did shop. Pittsburgh talked about three wide receivers before the deadline: Jacksonville’s Brian Thomas Jr., Indianapolis’ Josh Downs and Tennessee’s Calvin Ridley, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac.
SOURCES: Steelers had discussions about a trade for one of three WRs — Jacksonville’s Brian Thomas Jr., Indianapolis’ Josh Downs and Tennessee’s Calvin Ridley. But Thomas and Ridley were never traded and Downs – a popular target of trade rumors – was dealt to KC.
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) November 10, 2026
Why the Steelers stood pat
Thomas and Ridley were never traded. Downs, the receiver most often linked to Pittsburgh, went to Kansas City instead. The Chiefs added a late-round pick swap to the price, SteelerNation reported, and Khan wasn’t willing to give up his premium picks to top it.
That fits Khan’s pattern. The Steelers usually stay quiet at the deadline under him, as Behind the Steel Curtain pointed out, and this year was no exception. Downs’ old team, meanwhile, sold off four starters in all. We broke down what the Colts have left after their sell-off.
Who the Steelers are counting on at receiver
The bet is on bodies coming back, not new ones coming in. Here’s where the group stands, per 93.7 The Fan:
- Michael Pittman Jr. has missed five straight games but is running again, and coach Mike McCarthy said he’s close.
- Roman Wilson had six catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns in two games before a broken finger put him on injured reserve. He’s eligible to return against the Eagles.
- Ben Skowronek has three catches and a touchdown in five games and is expected back from a hamstring injury.
- Marquez Valdes-Scantling, 32, is on the practice squad and hasn’t been elevated yet.
Even people who cover the team closely see the risk. Steelers insider Mark Kaboly called it a gamble that won’t be judged until someone gets hurt, or doesn’t.
No debate that the Steelers are taking a chance by not getting at least a depth receiver at the deadline. They are expecting Roman Wilson and Michael Pittman Jr., back soon. Still, it is a gamble that we won't know the outcome until somebody does/doesn't get hurt. pic.twitter.com/SXT9YkxEB1
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) November 10, 2026
The secondary is leaning on youth, too. Rookies Daylen Everette and Robert Spears-Jennings are in the mix, slot corner Brandin Echols missed the last game with a hamstring injury, and safety DeShon Elliott only recently returned from a major knee injury.
Steelers at Bengals: first place on the line
The timing makes the quiet deadline even more noticeable. Pittsburgh comes out of its bye with a Sunday night trip to Cincinnati, and both teams are 6-2 with four-game winning streaks, NBC noted.
The Steelers hold the tiebreaker after beating the Bengals 30-27 in Week 3. Another win would give them the season sweep. A loss would hand Cincinnati a split and sole possession of first place in the AFC North.
Pittsburgh’s offense ranks 17th in scoring at 22.5 points per game, according to the Bengals’ own scouting report. Its strength is the run game, led by Jaylen Warren, at 4.9 yards per carry. Aaron Rodgers has thrown for 1,871 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions in what’s been billed as his final season. Against a Joe Burrow offense that just scored 34 in Madrid, the Steelers may need more than that from the passing game.
What’s riding on Khan’s decision
Not everyone in Pittsburgh is on board. Former Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley blasted the decision not to add a receiver, 93.7 The Fan reported. Inside the building, linebacker Patrick Queen shrugged it off, saying the locker room “could care less.”
There’s a case for patience. The Steelers kept every premium pick, and Pittman and Wilson could give them a deeper group in two weeks than a midseason rental would have. There’s also the case Kaboly has made: the AFC has no dominant team this year, and a 6-2 club with a 42-year-old quarterback should be pushing its chips in now.
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Steelers at Bengals kicks off Sunday at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. A week later, Pittsburgh visits a 2-7 Eagles team that went the other way at the deadline. Here’s how Philadelphia’s sell-off went.
Sources: Gerry Dulac, Mark Kaboly, 93.7 The Fan, SteelerNation (2), Behind the Steel Curtain, NBC, Bengals.com, Steelers Now
