One of the worst spots for a team to be at in today's NFL is right in the middle, meaning the team isn't quite bad enough to be in a rebuilding phase, but they're not good enough to be a contender. I have, for years, dubbed this tier the 'irrelevant middle.'
And it fits each and every season. While the teams change, the tier itself still exists. With the 2026 NFL Trade Deadline rapidly approaching, and some deadline moves already being made, there is no better time than now to dive more into the deadline chaos.
In this exercise, we've identified three teams that probably won't be sellers at the deadline, but should be...
These three teams should be trade deadline sellers, but probably won't be
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are 5-2 and currently in a playoff spot, but like previous Steelers teams, this team just does not stick out. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is very clearly a washed up player with very minimal upside, and, outside of him, the rest of the roster just does not stand out.
The Steelers rank 22nd in points scored per game and 5th in points allowed, but their worst defensive performances have predictably came against better teams. Some of this team's best players are also getting up there in age, and as a whole, where does Pittsburgh find an advantage over other AFC contenders?
It just does not exist. The Steelers didn't really make any moves this offseason to improve from the previous seasons. It's many of the same players from these 9 and 10-win seasons that they keep having. All in all, the Steelers could again mess around and finish with a winning record, but they've been in this 'middle' tier for a while now. Nothing stands out, and nothing about this franchise puts them into contention.
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