Tuesday night, the Steelers made their second in-season trade for a veteran player in the last eight days. And this time, they insist, it wasn't made out of need.
A week after Mike Tomlin maintained the Steelers acquired safety Minkah Fitzpatrick because of an injury to Sean Davis, Tomlin said the Steelers' acquisition of tight end Nick Vannett for a fifth-round pick was not made because of an injury to Vance McDonald. In fact, Tomlin seemed to think McDonald, who is dealing with a shoulder issue suffered in the second quarter of last Sunday's 24-20 loss to the 49ers, might be able to play -- at least sparingly -- when the Steelers host the Bengals Monday night at Heinz Field.