Who Could the Steelers Target in a Trade?

With the NFL free agent cupboard looking pretty bare for the Steelers, their option to fill some holes with talent is seeking trades with other teams.

There’s been an unusual amount of activity on the trade market, and I don’t think it’s done yet.

I wrote earlier that Keenan Lewis makes a ton of sense for the Steelers, and I still think that, but here’s a few other names that could help this team.

Dee Milliner, CB, Jets
Rumors have surfaced that the Jets have received offers from several teams for Milliner after they spent a large chunk of change on Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie, and Buster Skrine. Milliner was a top 10 pick 2 years ago, but has failed to live up to expectations due to injuries. The Jets have stated that they aren’t interested at this time, but Milliner could be a target later in the process if the Jets change their minds.

Matt Barkley, QB, Eagles
Rumors are that the Eagles want to move Barkley and sign Tim Tebow. If Philly wants to recoup the 4th round pick they spent on Barkley, then there’s no chance… but if they’d take a 6th rounder for him, he wouldn’t be bad addition to the Steelers. Barkley is not likely to be a starter, but he’s a very smart and accurate passer that could thrive in Haley’s quick-throw system if Ben Roethlisberger were to go down for a period of time.

Mike Pouncey, OG/C, Dolphins
This is admittedly a pipe dream, but I read that the Dolphins were working on a new contract for Pouncey over a month ago, but still no word of an extension. I’m hearing that the Steelers aren’t real happy with Ramon Foster, and the Pouncey twins have talked throughout their careers how hard it was to play away from each other firs the first time ever when coming to the NFL. If Maurkice hadn’t gotten so much last year, I’d think maybe he takes a cut to get Mike in Pittsburgh… Maybe in my dream world they could make a deal for Mike and Maurkice would be willing to take a cut.

Corey Lemonier, OLB, 49ers
Lemonier is probably the most realistic on this list. He only has 1 career sack, but the former 3rd round pick has some athleticism that could make him valuable to the Steelers. The Niners are pretty set at outside linebacker with Aldon Smith, Ahmad Brooks, and Aaron Lynch. Lemonier was a guy I liked out of college, and would be willing to bring him in because he’d be cheap in a trade and in cap space. The 49ers are thin at inside backer with the retirements of Chris Borland and Patrick Willis. A trade involving either Vince Williams or Sean Spence could make a lot of sense.

Vernon Davis, TE, 49ers
Davis has been a highly inconsistent receiver throughout his career, but at time has been dominant, particularly in the redzone. He is a little older, so he wouldn’t be a Heath Miller long-term replacement, but could be a nice option in the passing game for a couple of years. See the above comments about the Niners and inside linebackers.