Steelers stood pat at the deadline on receivers, protecting picks amid QB uncertainty

The Pittsburgh Steelers went shopping for a wide receiver before the trade deadline and came home without one. According to ESPN, Pittsburgh talked with Tennessee about Calvin Ridley. The Titans traded away defensive pieces Amani Hooker and Jeffery Simmons but kept their offense together around young quarterback Cam Ward, and Ridley stayed put.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that a recent incident involving Ridley at the Nashville airport made some teams hesitate. He added that the Steelers also looked at Josh Downs, who has since landed in Kansas City. That pursuit was harder because Pittsburgh has no 2027 fourth-round pick. Fowler summed up the front office's thinking this way: "The Steelers wanted to preserve their draft capital within reason." Part of the reason is the team's long-term quarterback picture. If Pittsburgh has to find its next passer through the draft or free agency, it will want picks to work with. The clubs that made big moves at the deadline, Fowler noted, already have star quarterbacks.

Pittsburgh is counting on help from inside the building instead. Fowler reported that Roman Wilson and Michael Pittman Jr. should be back from injury soon. Getting both back would give the receiver room the lift the team looked for on the trade market, without costing any draft capital.

Standing pat is easier to accept at 6-2. The Steelers have won four straight, most recently 27-6 over Cleveland. In those four games they allowed 57 points, a little over 14 per game. For the season they have outscored opponents 180-144.

What it means for Cincinnati

Next up is a trip to Cincinnati on Sunday, November 15, on NBC. The Steelers beat the Bengals 30-27 at home earlier this season. Still, Pittsburgh has been a different team on the road. It is 5-0 at home but 1-2 away, with losses at New England (20-3) and Cleveland (27-24). The only road win was 26-19 at Tampa Bay. The offense has also cooled during the winning streak, scoring 16 against New Orleans and 27 against Cleveland. With no receiver added, the passing game still has to hold up against a division opponent that knows it well.

The market expects the Bengals to win, even though Pittsburgh has the better recent form. On this site's board for the game, which tracks 11 venues, Cincinnati is favored at -174 to win outright on Novig, and Pittsburgh is +167. On the spread, the Bengals are favored by 3.5. Novig lists Cincinnati -3.5 at +102 and Pittsburgh +3.5 at -108. Novig's total is 49.5, with the over at +102. The best over price anywhere is Pinnacle's -117 at 48.5, a full point lower. Sportsbook hold runs from 3.0% to 5.3% on the moneyline and from 2.8% to 5.0% on the spread.

A 49.5 total is a lot of scoring for a team whose last four opponents averaged about 14 points. The previous meeting, though, produced 57 points. The week after Cincinnati, the Steelers visit Philadelphia, where they are favored at -212 on Novig and the best price anywhere is DraftKings at -198. That line suggests the market sees Pittsburgh's trip to Cincinnati as the harder of the two road games.