You would think that in a division as competitive as the AFC North, that teams would be trying to add one or two players that could possibly put them over the top. Instead, the Pittsburgh Steelers and their division counterparts did nothing to better themselves which may have been the best thing for all involved.
The Ravens did acquire yet another center – this time from the Atlanta Falcons – but this was the only move made by the four teams. There have been rumors that a couple of teams reached out to Cleveland about Shedeur Sanders and the Bengals appeared to have a trade with Philadelphia. That trade never materialized and the Browns chose to stay with Sanders despite moving back to Deshaun Watson this week.
As for the Black and Gold, I wrote earlier in the day that their future quarterback situation may have been a factor in today’s activity, or lack thereof. It appears that they could have had WR Josh Downs had they been willing to give up a third rounder. Omar Khan wasn’t willing to and Downs was shipped off to Kansas City for a fourth and fifth while the Colts added a seventh.
Khan and Mike McCarthy both know that if they truly want a franchise quarterback in the 2027 Draft then they’re going to have to move up. They currently have nine selections with a first, second and two thirds. Trading any of those today would have made a deal in the Spring nearly impossible. I think we also have to factor in just how close Michael Pittman, Jr and Roman Wilson are to returning. In the same breath we have to consider what their level of confidence is in them as well.
I’m good with standing pat today as the Steelers did. I firmly believe this team is far more than one player away from being a Super Bowl-caliber team so hanging on to the picks feels like the right move. There are bigger fish to fry and it seems the rest of the AFC North felt the same way.
