NFL Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers Should Strongly Consider Trading Lance Moore

Fresh Videos

By

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ passing attack has revolved around Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell and Heath Miller this year. For weeks, the Steelers have been searching for a solid No. 2 wide receiver, and I think they found him in rookie Martavis Bryant. With Bryant now in the mix, and Markus Wheaton, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Justin Brown seeing action in passing situations, it’s time for the Steelers to trade away Lance Moore.

This past offseason, Moore signed a two-year deal with the Steelers worth $5 million. He had several great years for the New Orleans Saints as a possession receiver in Drew Brees’ high-tempo offense. Moore racked up more than 4,000 yards receiving in his eight seasons with the Saints, including 38 touchdowns. His most productive year was in 2012 when Moore hauled in 65 passes for 1,041 yards and eight touchdowns. At the age of 31, Moore still has some juice left in the tank.

For the Steelers, Moore has caught just five passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns. It looks like Todd Haley doesn’t like to use Moore in his offensive schemes. It didn’t help Moore ‘s reputation in Pittsburgh when he got a delay of game penalty after his second catch as a Steeler. He spiked the ball after a 26-yard gain against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5. Coach Mike Tomlin ripped into Moore as he came to the sidelines. This dumb move by Moore came after Tomlin had been under fire for the Steelers’ large amount of pre-play and post-play penalties, mostly on excessive celebrations and unsportsmanlike conduct.

The Steelers offense doesn’t seem like a good fit for Moore, who came from a team that used more three and four wide receiver sets on a consistent basis. I can see a team like the New England Patriots being a better fit for Moore. The Patriots need some receiving help for Tom Brady as they make another run at the AFC East crown. Moore would bring a veteran presence to the Patriots and the ability to catch the ball at the sticks and in the end zone. I could also see the Seattle Seahawks adding a wide receiver like Moore. The Seahawks receiving corps is young and underwhelming since they traded away Percy Harvin to the New York Jets.

The Steelers would be wise to move forward with Wheaton, Bryant, Heyward-Bey and Justin Brown playing behind and beside Antonio Brown. There is a reason the Steelers don’t use Moore and it could involve an attitude issue, which is something that’s hard to fix. They should take the opportunity to trade Moore away right now and hope to get a decent draft pick in return.

Nate Vandergrift is a sports writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @natevandergrift, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

Share Tweet
Trending Now on