PITTSBURGH — The head coach hasn't won a playoff game in seven years. The new quarterback turns 36 next month and is working on a one-year contract. The franchise pillar of a defensive tackle is 35 and has participated in precisely one playoff win. The superstar edge rusher turned 30 two weeks ago and has participated in none.

If that doesn't scream urgency, I'm not sure what would.

Emergency is more like it.

Winning big games is oxygen to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and they've been gasping for years now. They need to make a playoff run. They need to win a playoff game.

Which brings us to Cooper Kupp, the Los Angeles Rams' suddenly available and certifiably great wide receiver. Great when healthy, I should add, and he's had some trouble there. He's also 31. But he's only guaranteed minimal cash next season and nothing (guaranteed) in 2026, so if it doesn't work out, you have options — and if you watched the Rams' season opener against the Detroit Lions, you saw what Kupp can still do to a defense.

Kupp was targeted an incredible 21 times that day and caught 14 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown. He lined up everywhere. Technically, he's a slot receiver, but if you watch video of every route he ran in that game, you'll realize that such a confining description hardly does him justice. He can run any route. He's open all the time. He beats man coverage. He beats zone coverage.

Any offensive coordinator worth his salt would find a way to use Kupp — and can you imagine what unlocking the middle of the field would do for George Pickens? Can you imagine what it would do for Russell Wilson to have somebody constantly open, often within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage? Wilson and Kupp were made for each other.

Health is a concern. Kupp has missed a ton of games in recent years, and he sustained a high-ankle sprain in Week 2, though he is expected to play for the Rams on Thursday night against the Minnesota Vikings. Steelers fans should root for the Rams to lose because that makes it more likely Kupp could be traded.

Assuming he is healthy, the real issue is compensation. The Rams, reportedly willing to eat some of Kupp's remaining salary this season, are said to want a second-round pick. That's steep.

Obviously, you try to get him for a third-round pick or a different package, but here's the thing: If you actually want to GET HIM, you probably have to make the best offer. The Bucs and 49ers also figure to be in the Kupp market. The Chiefs took themselves out of it by trading for DeAndre Hopkins on Wednesday.

Remember the Jim Rutherford rule from his time as Penguins general manager: He didn't always connect, but he always swung for the fences, and when people would question why he gave up so much to get a certain player, he'd laugh and say something along the lines of, "Yes, how do you think we got him?"

I don't think surrendering a second-round pick would ruin the franchise. In addition to their core of older players, the Steelers have plenty of young talent.

That, too, is part of the point here. It's not like they are starving for under-25 players and need to retain that second-round pick at any cost. When you hit on a bunch of picks, it puts you in position to surrender a premium one with less guilt and less impact. And it sure looks like they've hit on a bunch of picks lately — Zach Frazier, Keannu Benton, Joey Porter Jr., possibly Mason McCormick, possibly Payton Wilson, Pickens (who's still only 23), maybe Broderick Jones, hopefully Troy Fautanu (early returns were highly encouraging).

So yes, a second-round pick, while valuable, isn't a must-keep. There are other receivers on the market. Mike Williams is out there, but Mike Williams isn't Cooper Kupp. There is only one of those, and the starving Steelers have a real opportunity to strike.

Kupp was asked Tuesday, via the Orange County Register, about the trade report:

"I'm aware of it," he said. "But at the end of the day, I'm going to be where my feet are."

By the end of the week, or at least by the Nov. 5 trade deadline, it'd be real nice if they were in Pittsburgh.

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