Pittsburgh Steelers received Dick Modzelewski. Pittsburgh…
Pittsburgh Steelers received Dick Modzelewski. Pittsburgh received Dick Modzelewski, but his Steelers stay lasted only through the 1955 season before he was traded again. He provided legitimate short-term line value, yet Pittsburgh did not keep the player long enough to match the multi-season return Washington received from the outgoing package.
Pittsburgh Steelers Received
- player Dick Modzelewski
Washington Commanders Received
- player Leo Elter / Ducky Elter
- player Art DeCarlo
Trade Analysis
The Exchange
On 1955-03-30, Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Commanders completed a trade in which Pittsburgh Steelers received Dick Modzelewski, while Washington Commanders received Leo Elter / Ducky Elter and Art DeCarlo. This review credits only value the acquiring team actually realized and traces later assets only when the downstream connection is supportable.
Pittsburgh Steelers Return
Pittsburgh received Dick Modzelewski, but his Steelers stay lasted only through the 1955 season before he was traded again. He provided legitimate short-term line value, yet Pittsburgh did not keep the player long enough to match the multi-season return Washington received from the outgoing package.
Washington Commanders Return
Washington received Leo Elter and Art DeCarlo. Elter played 11 games with three starts in 1955 and made the Pro Bowl in 1956, while DeCarlo also returned from military service to contribute. The Commanders therefore received multiple realized pieces and the strongest individual post-trade achievement in Elter's Pro Bowl season.
Value in Hindsight
Washington's two-player return, led by Elter's Pro Bowl recognition, produced more sustained value than Pittsburgh received from one season of Modzelewski before moving him again. Unidentified picks, cash amounts, or future consideration remain explicit rather than being converted into a guessed player or value. That keeps the comparison tied to documented outcomes instead of the apparent value of the names at the time of the trade.
Where the surviving record is incomplete, the evaluation stays deliberately conservative: documented games, starts, production, and traceable asset outcomes receive credit, while unsupported assumptions about hidden consideration or later careers do not.
Final Verdict
Washington Commanders Win. Pittsburgh Steelers earns a C, while Washington Commanders earns a B+. The grades reflect the actual post-trade service, production, and traceable downstream value described above.