{"id":280652,"date":"2026-09-07T03:16:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T03:16:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/280652\/"},"modified":"2026-09-07T03:16:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T03:16:18","slug":"bills-steelers-tabbed-as-potential-trade-partners-for-two-different-players","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/280652\/","title":{"rendered":"Bills, Steelers Tabbed as Potential Trade Partners for Two Different Players"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"98\">The Buffalo Bills should be exploring all avenues to improve their roster between now and the Nov. 10 trade deadline as the team looks to make a push for its first ever Super Bowl this season.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"9d\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/bills\/onsi\/free-agency-three-available-players-the-buffalo-bills-should-kick-the-tires-on\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bills could use more help<\/a> on the defensive side of the ball in particular, with cornerback and linebacker often being cited as positions where the team could use an upgrade.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"9i\">Bleacher Report&#8217;s Brad Gagnon agrees with those two positions being needs for Buffalo, and as such he pegged two Pittsburgh Steelers players as <a href=\"https:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/articles\/25495920-buffalo-bills-biggest-team-needs-and-trade-targets-entering-2026-nfl-season\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">possible trade targets for the Bills<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"9n\">One is linebacker Patrick Queen, and the other is cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. <\/p>\n<p>Why Steelers could trade Samuel, Queen<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/01m1vm86bx4c0e8fj30w.jpg\" alt=\"Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr.\" title=\"Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr.\" width=\"360\" height=\"360\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"a4\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. (22) on the field before the Steelers play the Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium.s | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"aa\">Here&#8217;s Gagnon&#8217;s explanation for why the Steelers could trade those players.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"af\">&#8220;Queen is another Pittsburgh veteran in a contract year who could become a trade piece for the Steelers if they fall out of playoff contention early,&#8221; Gagnon said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"ak\">&#8220;Samuel is a proven veteran on a cheap one-year deal in Pittsburgh, but the cornerback-rich Steelers could bail on that if they aren&#8217;t getting much use out of him or they find themselves selling ahead of the deadline,&#8221; Gagnon wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Why Bills need help at cornerback, linebacker<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/01m1vm91c8c9cx8krsgy.jpg\" alt=\"Buffalo Bills cornerback Maxwell Hairston.\" title=\"Buffalo Bills cornerback Maxwell Hairston.\" width=\"360\" height=\"360\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"b1\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Buffalo Bills cornerback Maxwell Hairston (31) warms up before the game between the Cleveland Browns and the Bills at Huntington Bank Field.  | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"b7\">Gagnon also gave his reasons for why the Bills need help at both cornerback and linebacker.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"bc\">&#8220;The team should expect Hairston to develop in Year 2, but the depth chart could become vulnerable if his progress stalls or injuries strike,&#8221; Gagnon said. &#8220;Davison Igbinosun is a second-round rookie, while Jordan Hancock is realistically more of a safety who was limited as a fifth-round rookie in 2025.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"bh\">&#8220;The group has depth, particularly with rookie Elarms-Orr shining this summer and Shaq Thompson on the practice squad,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Still, Buffalo is expected to use 3-4 looks often, and Bernard and Williams project as replacement-level starters as the team moves on from the Matt Milano era. &#8220;Injuries are also a concern for both starters.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-14\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"bm\">As Gagnon notes, the Bills have a shaky situation at cornerback. The hope is that Hairston solidifies himself as a starter, but there&#8217;s no guarantee that happens after his disappointing rookie season. We also have no idea what to expect from Igbinosun if he gets called into significant action for any reason.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-15\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"br\">Linebacker isn&#8217;t as shaky, with the Bills having more proven talent there. The biggest concern we see from that group is injury, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/bills\/onsi\/injuries-bills-linebacker-has-surgery-reveals-update-with-new-photos-terrel-bernard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bernard has struggled with them<\/a> in recent years.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-16\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"bw\">Elarms-Orr <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/bills\/onsi\/injuries-early-signs-point-to-major-role-for-bills-rookie-kaleb-elarms-orr-after-minicamp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">was impressive this offseason<\/a> and his arrow is no doubt pointing up, but he&#8217;s still a wild card with zero regular season games under his belt.<\/p>\n<p>Would Steelers actually trade Queen, Samuel?<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/01m1vmdezncr5mwws9ba.jpg\" alt=\"Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen.\" title=\"Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen.\" width=\"360\" height=\"360\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"cd\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen warms up for a game against the Buffalo Bills at Acrisure Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-19\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"cj\">There is zero chance either one of these players is traded before the start of the season, or even early in it.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-20\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"co\">Pittsburgh does not have a viable replacment for Queen on its roster, and Pittsburgh would be seriously thin in the depth department without Samuel.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-21\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"ct\">However, things could change closer to the trade deadline if Pittsburgh finds itself having a bad season. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-22\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"cy\">Both Samuel and Queen are in the final year of their respective contracts and Queen in particular has been viewed as someone who is considered unlikely to have a future in Pittsburgh after a disappointing stint with the team.<\/p>\n<p>Should Bills consider either player if available?<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/01m1vmf0j77bp5x7yzy1.jpg\" alt=\"Bills general manager Brandon Beane.\" title=\"Bills general manager Brandon Beane.\" width=\"360\" height=\"360\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"df\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Bills general manager Brandon Beane looks on during day six of Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University Thursday, August 5, 2026 in Pittsford. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-25\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"dl\">That will depend upon how things transpire at cornerback and linebacker. First and foremost, health is a crucial part of the equation.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-26\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"dq\">From there, if Elarms-Orr can prove to be a reliable third &#8216;backer and Hairston manages to take that next step and Igbinosun and Dee Alford amount to strong depth, no moves will be needed.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-27\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"dv\">However, if disaster strikes, the Bills should absolutely make a play for one or both, depending on where their needs.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-28\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"e0\">\u2014\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/bills\/onsi\/newsletter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Sign up for OnSI\u2019s Free Buffalo Bills Newsletter<\/a>\u00a0\u2014<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\" class=\"shrink-0\"\/>Add us as a preferred source on Google<a aria-label=\"Follow si.com on Google News\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=si.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" preventdefault:click=\"\" class=\"flex h-[30px] w-[30px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full bg-primary font-group-large text-sm font-medium text-white transition-colors hover:bg-secondary focus:bg-secondary md:w-auto md:gap-2.5 md:px-4 md:py-[5px]\" on:pointerenter=\"q-ByzPr0DT.js#s_1NOcOpHWmT0\" on:touchstart=\"q-DTYzwFp3.js#s_R8AiGTDeM28\" on:focus=\"q-D4fJFHos.js#s_gxiTM6qMMu8\" on:click=\"q-BnXlZ5_W.js#s_lDqay9E5m5g[0]\" q:id=\"e6\">Follow<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Buffalo Bills should be exploring all avenues to improve their roster between now and the Nov. 10&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":280653,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[73,75,74],"class_list":["post-280652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=280652"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280652\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/280653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=280652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=280652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=280652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}