The second wave of free agency is set to begin in the NFL and this also means teams will need to start making roster moves internally to adjust for roster size and salary cap. This can mean teams work trades to get veterans and their contracts off the books.
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s been an incredibly productive and active offseason. They have added multiple players in free agency and had a very aggressive draft. This means they could be in a position to make some trades to jettison veterans. Here are three potential candidates who could be put on the block.
Bud Dupree, EDGE
The Steelers opted to pick up Dupree’s fifth-year option, paying his more than $9 million this season. Dupree isn’t a bust on the level of Jarvis Jones, but he certainly hasn’t lived up to expectations. With all the young pass rushers on the roster now, it might be time to move on from Dupree and give a guy like Ola Adeniyi a shot.
Artie Burns, cornerback
Burns is the other former first-round pick on this list. Burns has been a monumental bust and will not be getting his fifth-year option. Maybe a change of scenery is what Burns needs and so trying to get a little value in a trade wouldn’t be a bad idea. It would give him a fresh start and Pittsburgh can divest itself from a draft mistake.
Dan McCullers, defensive tackle
Pittsburgh chose to give McCullers a two-year contract this offseason despite the fact he’s produced almost nothing during his career. The Steelers added Isaiah Buggs in the draft, making McCullers expendable. Some team might be enticed by McCuller’s size and hope they can coax some production out of him with more reps.
