PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – With injuries at receiver and youth in the secondary, the Steelers decided to hold firm and not make any trades at the NFL deadline Tuesday afternoon. They trusted who they have. Former Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley tells The PM Team on 93.7 The Fan, that will leave them short-handed.
“I don’t like to disrupt the chemistry of the team, but this year, I really thought this would be the time,” Haley told Andrew Fillipponi, Chris Mueller and Donny Chedrick minutes after the deadline. “I think the Steelers are very, very close, but they are a receiver, skill-guy away in my opinion.”
Meanwhile Jacksonville got defensive tackle Jordan Davis and safety Jessie Bates, Bills added safety Amani Hooker, Chiefs got receiver Josh Downs, Ravens added quarterback Jacoby Brissett and starting center Ryan Neuzil and Denver a starting linebacker, Daiyan Henley.
“You saw the Jags do what they did,” Haley said on his weekly segment on 93.7 The Fan. “It feels like now, even if we have a good team and make it to the playoffs, it’s going to be the same thing. When you go start to go against the big boys, you are going to be a little short-handed.”
It’s the moves by the Jags that really disturbed Haley.
“The really bitter thing for me is to see Jacksonville go out and do the things they did,” Haley told The PM Team. “When they are already a good team to say we got the quarterback, let’s do it. The Steelers are playing with Aaron Rodgers, they believe he’s the quarterback.”
So why didn’t the Steelers make moves? Haley said you can’t live in the past when teams only built through the draft, you need to make moves. To be fair, the Steelers did make offseason trades in the last two years for its top two receivers, DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman, Junior.
Metcalf has struggled to find consistency and Pittman, Junior missed training camp and now the last five games with foot issues. Getting Pittman could be an impact.
“I still think that would be a big lift,” Haley told Fillipponi Tuesday. “I’ve stated on here, and I don’t want DK Metcalf coming after me, but he needs help. Aaron Rodgers needs somebody on the other side that strikes a little fear in you. I think (Pittman’s) probably 1-B, which is how I feel about DK right now until I see him go off or gain confidence back or whatever needs to happen.”
“Just having two 1-B’s out there is better than having one, 1-B. (Rookie receiver) Germie Bernard, even though he’s a young guy and doing a lot of good things, I see him as an inside role player. Even though I like him and I like the direction he’s moving in.”
What Haley told 93.7 The Fan is that the Steelers are missing a deep threat, someone who can be a force down the field, or at least be a decoy.
“Darius Heyward-Bey, one of the most unselfish guys I’ve ever been around, he was really fast, could beat press and he knew he wasn’t getting the ball, but he would haul ass through the coverage,” Haley said on 93.7 The Fan. “Who is that guy (with this Steelers team)? That’s my question. That would be DK if you had another big-timer. You would say ‘hey DK, you are going to run through the half-field safety right here and it’s going to open everything up.”
“I don’t see that piece right now.”
Maybe that’s Roman Wilson when he returns from injury, likely against the Eagles. Maybe that’s promoting receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling from the practice squad.
Now that there wasn’t a trade made at the deadline, Haley believes this team will likely take all the negative talk and push a kind of us-against-the-world mentality.
“It’s probably got to be a little disheartening when you see other teams, that are good teams with similar records, adding pieces and you haven’t done anything,” Haley told The PM Team. “It also can be a part of circling the wagons and say ‘hey, we got the guys we want. We are going to go out there and battle and try to win a championship’.”
‘It seems like you are just treading water’
‘It seems like you are just treading water’
