Former Steelers Linebacker Arthur Moats Discusses Trading For Broncos Elite Cornerback Patrick Surtain II

The Pittsburgh Steelers defense has looked extremely good at the beginning of the 2023 NFL season. They've caused eight turnovers and have TJ Watt, who is currently leading the NFL with six sacks on the year so far. If there was a weakness in the defense, it would be the secondary. They allowed monster performances from Brandon Aiyuk in Week 1, Davante Adams in Week 3, and also looked porous in Week 2 against the Cleveland Browns. In discussing how to fix that, former Steelers linebacker Arthur Moats discussed possibly trading for one of the league's best cornerbacks. 

Would The Steelers Trade For Patrick Surtain II?

Moats and his co-host, Deke, discussed the possibility and the chances of the Steelers trading for Patrick Surtain II, who is often considered the best cornerback in the league. Surtain II currently plays for the Denver Broncos, who are struggling after giving up 70 points to the Miami Dolphins in Week 3. 

The suspicion is that if the Broncos continue to struggle, they might start having themselves a fire sale where they try to trade their valuable assets in order to get draft capital and some pieces that will help them rebuild under their new head coach, Sean Payton. Moats seemed in favor of trying to make a trade for Surtain II if he does in fact become available. 

"Think about the guys in the past that we've missed out on. We talked about [Stephon] Gilmore, Jalen Ramsey. This guy is legit good, in the middle of his prime. This would be like getting Jalen Ramsey when he went to the Rams."

Surtain II is in his third NFL season. He has already been named to the Pro Bowl and was selected as a First Team All-Pro in 2022. He has six interceptions through just two full seasons, and would be an immediate contributor to any defense in the league. The Steelers gave up 13 catches to Adams in Week 3, he had 172 yards and two touchdowns. Adding a guy like Surtain II would shut these top receivers down, and the defense would be more successful as a whole. 

There would be some downfalls to making a trade of this magnitude. Moats' co-host, Deke, discussed why the Steelers would not make the move to bring in Surtain II if he becomes available and talked about the current state of the secondary. 

"I could see us just not doing it from the standpoint that I think we like the guys we bring in typically from free agency and the draft. I do believe they think the secondary is going to get better, and it hasn't been god awful."

The secondary hasn't been horrendous, but it is clear some changes need to be made in order to shut down some of these receivers near the top of the league. The main downfall that comes with any trade is how much the Steelers would need to give up to acquire Surtain II. Back in 2019, the Jacksonville Jaguars traded their star cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams had to give up their next two first-round picks, and a fourth-round pick. It can be expected the asking price for Surtain II would be something similar. 

In addition to what it would cost to trade for a player of this caliber, the Steelers would also need to find a way to sign him in the long-term. Surtain II is still on his rookie contract and would be eligible for an extension after this season. He would likely be demanding big money. Denzel Ward recently signed his contract extension with the Cleveland Browns in 2022 and it was worth around $100 million. He will have a cap hit of over $20 million for the next four years. Surtain II would likely get something similar, which is a large chunk of the salary cap. 

Before the Steelers decide to give anything up for a star player that they would need to spend big on to keep the player in Pittsburgh for a long time, they need to give Joey Porter Jr. a bigger role so it can be seen what exactly he can do at the NFL level. The Steelers could have a young star cornerback on the roster, but they wouldn't know because he has seen limited playing time. When he has played, he has played spectacular. He had the game-winning pass break up in Week 2, and has allowed just one reception in 45 coverage snaps this season. 

If the Broncos do make Surtain II available later this season, the Steelers should definitely do their due diligence by seeing what the price would be to bring him to Pittsburgh. However, they shouldn't make any decisions before giving Porter Jr. a larger role within the defense and seeing what he can at the professional level.