The Pittsburgh Steelers enter Week 6 without three of their wide receivers. Michael Pittman is on IR with a foot injury, and both Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek suffered injuries in the Steelers’ Week 5 win over the Colts that will leave them unable to play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
That leaves DK Metcalf, Germie Bernard, and Kaden Wetjen as the only receivers who made the initial 53-man roster that are healthy. Brandon Smith was called up on Sunday, and may get a roster spot in Week 6. Should
the Steelers want to make a splash, though, and add a proven playmaker, there are multiple names to look at via trade.
Vikings WR Jauan Jennings
Jennings signed with the Vikings this past offseason after five seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. He put up solid numbers over his last two seasons, with 55 receptions in 2025 and 77 catches in 2024. Thus far with Minnesota, he has just two receptions for nine yards. Considering his proven ability to do the underneath nitty-gritty stuff, including hard run blocking and catching passes through contract, he fits what Pittsburgh wants to do offensively. A 2028 fifth-round pick in exchange for his services would be a good move for Pittsburgh to make.
Titans WR Calvin Ridley
Ridley is in his ninth NFL season, and his current role with the Tennessee Titans is a small one. He has only caught five passes on eight targets thus far in 2026. Ridley isn’t far removed from a pair of 1,000-yard seasons in 2023 and 2024, and perhaps playing in a better offense with a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers would bring out a bit of the player we saw a few seasons ago. He’ll be 32 before the season ends. With that in mind, A 2028 sixth-round pick would be fair compensation for the former Second-Team All-Pro.
Browns WR Jerry Jeudy
Do I think the Browns will trade Jeudy to the Steelers while both are very much alive in a playoff race? No. But if we only wrote about things we think will happen, not a lot of work would get done. It’s far from unprecedented to see players dealt within the division. The Browns traded quarterback Joe Flacco to the Bengals last season, and Mike Tomlin was infamously really, really fine with it. Jeudy caught 50 passes a season ago, but only has eight catches on 15 targets in 2026. Shipping a fifth-rounder to Cleveland for the 27 year-old wouldn’t be the worst idea.
Jaguars WR Brian Thomas
We saw Marvin Harrison Jr get dealt to the Houston Texans in a splash move, which leaves Thomas as the biggest name being centered around trade rumors at the position. The 2024 Pro Bowler has gotten lost in the pecking order due to Parker Washington emerging as a budding star, as well as Jakobi Meyers and Brenton Strange being the second and third options in the Jaguars’ offense. After nearly 1,300 yards in 2024, injuries saw that number dip to just over 700 in 2025. Through five games, he has nine catches for 105 yards. A third-round pick may be enough to secure a deal for Thomas, who would instantly become the best receiver on the team.
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