The NFL cutdown deadline and first waiver wire period came and passed and the Pittsburgh Steelers have yet to bring in more wide receiver help.
Pittsburgh ended up keeping five wide receivers on its initial 53-man roster, but big questions remain behind DK Metcalf, as the Steelers don't have an established No. 2 wide receiver for Aaron Rodgers.
Knowing that, Bleacher Report's Moe Moton is predicting the Steelers will pull off a trade with the New Orleans Saints for wide receiver Brandin Cooks in exchange for a draft pick.
Here's Moton's proposal for the prediction and some of his write-up on it:
- New Orleans Saints Get: 2026 5th-round pick
- Pittsburgh Steelers Get: WR Brandin Cooks
"The Steelers should be one of the strongest suitors for Cooks, who would be the team's second-best wideout behind DK Metcalf," Moton writes. "Calvin Austin III made strides as a big-play receiver last season, but quarterback Aaron Rodgers can target Cooks as his reliable chain-mover in the aerial attack."
Cooks, 31, is a six-time 1,000-yard wide receiver but has seen his numbers decline in recent years, as he's failed to cross the 700-yard mark in each of the past three seasons.
In 2024, Cooks posted just 259 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games, but if you extrapolate that per-game average over 17 contests, he would've finished with 440 yards, which would've ranked third among Steelers receivers last season.
It's quite clear Cooks' best days are behind him, but he's still got enough left in the tank to be a worthwhile addition for Pittsburgh's shaky group.
The Saints might be hesitant to sell off any of their wide receivers given the fact that they have young quarterbacks on their roster, but New Orleans would likely consider dealing Cooks for the right price.
A fifth-round pick could most definitely be enough for Pittsburgh to convince New Orleans to do so.
Cooks might not be the flashy move Steelers fans want to see, but he would be better than nothing.
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