Welcome to Preseason overreaction season! Especially for Pittsburgh Steelers fans, this time of year is filled with either extreme excitement or extreme foreboding, never anything in between. Last year, the Steelers were waltzing through their Preseason matchups with ease. The offense was humming and they were a Dark Horse contender! This year, the script has flipped, and fans are antsy. The offense has been atrocious, specifically along the revamped O-line, where injuries and poor play have dampened enthusiasm for that side of the ball, despite the much-discussed upgrades at Quarterback.

Speaking of injuries, they continue to mount at important positions. Nate Herbig is now out for the season with a shoulder injury after looking like the Week 1 starter at OC for the Steelers throughout Training Camp and Preseason. The team has let go several prospective Nickel CB options due to injury, and that position has fans spooked as well.

I haven’t even gotten to the whole WR2 saga. The song and dance with Brandon Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers has run its course and then some, and an early camp injury to Rookie 3rd Rd pick Roman Wilson has hurt his chances of being an impactful receiver early in the year.

With some burning questions dotting the roster, and only 3 weeks to go until Pittsburgh’s Week 1 trip to Atlanta, here are 4 moves I believe the Steelers should make in the meantime to help alleviate some of those concerns.

1. TRADE A 2025 3RD ROUND PICK TO THE PACKERS FOR WR ROMEO DOUBS

At this point, it might behoove the Steelers to move on from pursuing Brandon Aiyuk and make an attempt at another young receiver who might just be the odd man out in a highly-contested WR room in Green Bay. Romeo Doubs was 2nd on the team in routes run and receiving yards in 2023, but the rise of fellow receivers Jayden Reed and Dontavion Wicks coupled with the anticipated return of downfield threat Christian Watson has left Doubs as more or less the forgotten man in this WR room.

If the Steelers could lure the Packers into parting ways with Doubs so that their other young receivers can take on larger workloads in 2024, adding a well-rounded talent like Doubs could be just what the Doctor ordered for the Steelers WR2 situation. There’s plenty of upside there, and Doubs is still playing on his rookie contract.

2. SIGN FREE AGENT OC SCOTT QUESSENBERRY TO A 1-YEAR DEAL

This one is simple. The Steelers don’t have a great secondary option at Center now behind Rookie 2nd-Rounder Zach Frazier who has now been thrust into the starting position after the Herbig injury. I’m not suggesting the kid can’t hold his own at the Pivot for Pittsburgh in 2024, but having a vet backup in the fold would give the Steelers an experienced backup behind Frazier that wouldn’t require a major shuffling of the interior OL. If the team’s plan is to have starting RG James Daniels act as the primary backup at OC, that could complicate a lot of things if Frazier misses any time.

3. SIGN FREE AGENT CB PATRICK PETERSON TO PLAY THE NICKEL

No more messing around. No more Beenie Bishop or bust at Nickel CB (I like Bishop, but I’m not sold he’s the week 1 answer there). Let’s get the versatile and savvy veteran Peterson back in Black and Gold on a 1-year deal to help solidify the position and at least provide good competition for Bishop until Cam Sutton comes back from his 8-game suspension this season. Peterson would be cheap, and he already knows this defense. Adding him to the roster is a no-brainer at this point.

4. TRADE LT DAN MOORE, JR. TO A LT-NEEDY FRANCHISE FOR A 6TH ROUND PICK

If you’re like me, you’re tired of this game of “Musical Offensive Tackles” that the Steelers have been playing the last 2 seasons now. Despite Broderick Jones’ struggles this Preseason, I still believe in him as this team’s LT of the future, and I believe that future should be now.

Moore has had plenty of chances to show he can be more than a replacement-level starter at LT, but he has failed to improve year over year to the extent that Pittsburgh should have any qualms about moving on and just installing Jones back to his more natural position as the teams starting LT. The Steelers love Rookie OT Troy Fautanu, and think he’s ready to be a starter at RT, so it makes plenty of sense to eliminate any questions on the other side and put all their chips behind Jones at LT.

The only way to do that? Get Moore out of the building.