The Pittsburgh Steelers seem determined to trade for a veteran wide receiver this offseason. Omar Khan needs to replace the departed Diontea Johnson, and wants to do it in a very big way. With so many needs heading into the draft, any Steelers trade involving premier draft picks would certainly hurt the team in other areas. Pittsburgh might have to set it’s sights a little lower to fill the void at wide receiver. Steelers big game hunting at wide receiver
A name to watch, particularly during the draft is Titans wideout Treylon Burks. He is not as sexy a name as Brandon Aiyuk or Terry McLauren, but a much more feasible option. It has been reported that the Titans are shopping their former first round pick. https://www.si.com/college/arkansas/former-razorback-treylon-burks-may-be-looking-at-trade
It hasn’t quite worked out as Tennessee had hoped with Treylon Burks. He has been somewhat of a disappointment in his first two years. With only one touchdown, and under 700 career yards, the Titans are not getting first round production out of this player. Some of this can be contributed to the train wreck situation at quarterback for the Titans. It’s no secret Ryan Tannehill has been on the decline for several years now. The combination of Tannehill, and Will Levis in 2023 was less than ideal as well. Now that the Titans have the newly acquired Calvin Ridley in hand, Burks has now become expendable.
Traylon Burks would be a great fit in the Arthur Smith offense. This is a big-bodied receiver who can handle himself in the run game, while still being a vertical threat in the passing game. While his overall stats aren’t very impressive in terms of yards, he does have the big play ability having season long catches of 51 in 2022, and 73 in 2023. Burks is 6’2”, and weighed in at 225 pounds coming out of the University of Arkansas. He would make the perfect compliment to George Pickens as the team’s number two wideout.
The cost for a Steelers trade for Traylon Burks would of course be far less than for some of the more established receivers that have been linked to them. A fourth round pick might get it done, their latter third at worst would be the top of the range. Burks is still under his rookie contract for two more seasons at roughly $2 million per. At that number, Omar Khan would not have to do any contract restructuring to fit his salary in.
A trade like this makes all the sense in the world for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They’d be getting a perfect fit for what Arthur Smith wants to do on offense. At the same time not breaking the bank in terms of draft capital. It won’t get the headlines a Brandon Autumn trade would, but it is a much more likely scenario. Keep a close eye on this situation as the draft gets closer.