It's no surprise the Steelers showed an interest in the Eagles' Fletcher Cox at the trade deadline earlier this week after sending Melvin Ingram to the Chiefs for a sixth-round pick.
It's exactly what I'd been hearing. The Steelers were extremely interested in acquiring another defensive tackle, especially in the aftermath of allowing a season-high 144 rushing yards in a 23-20 overtime win over the Seahawks the week before.
But according to reports, the Steelers balked at the Eagles' asking price of a third- or even second-round draft pick. And rightfully so. Having already traded their 2022 picks in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds, the Steelers currently have picks in the first, second, third and sixth rounds, though they also have two seventh-round selections.
They're expected to get a third-round compensatory pick in return for the loss of Bud Dupree, and should get a fifth-round selection for the loss in free agency of Matt Feiler, but those picks have not yet been awarded and therefore cannot be traded. There's also a chance the compensation for Dupree falls to the fourth round.
With a very possible quarterback need in 2022, the Steelers will need all the draft capital they can get to potentially move up in the first round or trade for a veteran player at the position.
As for the desire to acquire Cox, it does give some insight into what the Steelers now feel is going on with injured defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt, who has been out since the start of the season with a knee injury.
A few weeks ago, a team source told me the hope was that Tuitt might be ready to return at or around the team's bye in Week 7. The bye is now two weeks in the team's rearview mirror and there's been no activity in regard to Tuitt being designated for a return to practice.
Now, with Tyson Alualu also out with a fractured ankle that still has him on crutches -- likely for the season -- the Steelers most certainly could have found ways to use Cox even if Tuitt had returned.
But Cox also, I'm told, wasn't the only defensive lineman the Steelers pursued. They had talks with a number of teams, though nothing came to fruition.
Perhaps that said more about the team's comfort level with the linemen currently replacing Tuitt and Alualu, Chris Wormley and Isaiah Buggs, respectively, but it also points toward the feeling Tuitt still isn't near a return.
The run defense was better in the team's 15-10 win over the Browns last Sunday, but the Steelers still feel Cam Heyward is still playing too many snaps, without a viable option to cut down on that.
The interesting thing is that the Steelers reworked Tuitt's contract in the offseason to lower his cap hit for this season to $8.6 million. They added some voidable years through 2025, which also lowered Tuitt's 2022 cap hit to $13.975 million. But if he's released in the offseason, the Tuitt's dead cap space in 2022 would be $9.68 million, with $4.75 million pushed to 2023.
Could the Steelers move on from Tuitt in the offseason? Perhaps. But he'll also be just 29 years old next season and had a career-high 11.5 sacks in 2020.
Cox has two years remaining on his current contract beyond this season. Had the Steelers acquired him, it would have made things interesting moving forward with Tuitt in terms of remaining with the team.
