NFL rumors: Steelers are on the verge of making a splashy trade

Could the Steelers trade up in the first round? If so, the Chicago Bears are an attractive target at No. 9, and these two teams have history.

Near the NFL trade deadline, the Bears dealt their second-round pick to Pittsburgh for disgruntled wide receiver Chase Claypool. At the time, it was thought Claypool would help Chicago unlock quarterback Justin Fields.

Fields took a major step forward, but it wasn’t much thanks to Claypool, who remains a Bear but now second on the depth chart behind D.J. Moore.

But that trade history could pay dividends once again for both clubs. Pittsburgh seems interested in trading up should the opportunity arise to land a star offensive tackle, and Chicago is loading up on draft capital. The Bears already dealt their No. 1 overall pick to the Carolina Panthers for a small war chest of future selections.

NFL Rumors: Steelers could trade up with Bears

This report comes from The Bootleg Football Podcast’s EJ Snyder reported that the two sides had spoken about a potential deal:

“Bears and Steelers are possible. They’ve talked about it. I know they’ve talked about it,” Snyder said. “It’s by no means for sure. … The most likely connect the dots moment is that Pittsburgh needs and a tackle and they go up for one because there’s one they like and they’ll be gone by the time they pick at 17.”

Snyder did caution that many teams, not just Pittsburgh, had spoken to Chicago about that selection. It’s a well-known fact that Ryan Poles and the Bears are rebuilding through the draft and thus gaining future selections in this year’s showcase.

But, let’s say Peter Skoronski out of Northwestern were to fall to the Bears. They could easily get a phone call from Steelers GM Omar Khan. Having already spoken about parameters gives these two sides an advantage.