The Pittsburgh Steelers should absolutely pursue this bold move before the NFL trade deadline.
The Pittsburgh Steelers aren't exactly in full-blown crisis mode, but things aren't great in Steel City right now. The Steelers have lost two games in a row, and their upcoming schedule is daunting.
Pittsburgh is 4-3 and remains in first place in the AFC North, but with the Baltimore Ravens shocking the Chicago Bears last Sunday and Lamar Jackson now returning for Week 9, the Steelers could be in some trouble moving forward if they don't find a fix.
The good news is that Pittsburgh has until next Tuesday to make moves to address its issues, and while the Steelers' most prominent problems seem to be on the defensive side of the ball for a change, it's clear they also have some serious holes offensively.
Most notably, Pittsburgh needs another wide receiver behind D.K. Metcalf, which is why the Steelers should absolutely pursue a trade for Jacksonville Jaguars star Brian Thomas Jr. if it's available.
It was recently reported that the Jaguars have received calls on Thomas, and while head coach Liam Coen said that the second-year receiver isn't going anywhere, there may be some smoke here.
Thomas has struggled this season after a phenomenal rookie campaign in which he hauled in 87 receptions for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns, making the Pro Bowl and cementing himself as one of the top up-and-coming wide outs in football.
The 23-year-old still has three years of team control remaining after this season, so his price would likely be extravagant, regardless of some feeling Jacksonville might be willing to move him for a Day 2 pick. But the Steelers should at least explore the option.
In case you haven't noticed, Aaron Rodgers can still play, as evidenced by the fact that he has tossed 16 touchdown passes while posting a 104.4 passer rating thus far. But he is short on weapons. If Pittsburgh can pair Metcalf and Thomas together, look out.
Of course, whether or not the Steelers would want to spend such significant draft capital on Thomas is debatable considering they also desperately need to add some defensive pieces. They already swung a trade for safety Kyle Dugger, but they should be going bigger before Nov. 4.
If Pittsburgh can manage to bag Thomas while also bolstering its defense, it would be tremendous, but I understand that would exhaust its assets, and it already dealt a second-round pick for Metcalf during the offseason.
Regardless, if the Steelers are unable to land a game-changing defender, it would be wise for them to turn their attention to Thomas to bolster the offense as much as possible.