The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2021 season is over, already eliminated from the postseason after suffering a 42-21 loss at the hands of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. They just barely made the postseason with a 9-7-1 record and a little help from their friends.
This is an offseason of major change, with the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, the possible retirement of general manager Kevin Colbert, and the decisions about the futures of many important players to be made, such as Joe Haden, Stephon Tuitt, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and others—some already decided, some not.
Aside from exploring their options at the quarterback position, the top global priority, once again, figures to be addressing the offensive line, which they did not do quite adequately enough a year ago. Dan Moore Jr. looks like he may have a future as a full-time starter, but Kendrick Green was clearly not ready. Chukwuma Okorafor was re-signed, but Trai Turner was not. James Daniels and Mason Cole were added in free agency.
These are the sorts of topics among many others that we have been exploring on a daily basis and will continue to do so. Football has become a year-round pastime and there is always a question to be asked. There is rarely a concrete answer, but this is your venue for exploring the topics we present through all their uncertainty.
Question: Are the Steelers making the right move with the reported hire of Omar Khan to succeed Kevin Colbert as general manager?
It was reported last night that the Steelers have completed their general manager search, and that it will soon be officially announced that Omar Khan will be their man to succeed Kevin Cobert, who occupied that seat (if not that title) for more than two decades.
Khan was one of 16 people to interview for the position, one of two internal candidates, and he has spent many, many years working hand-in-hand with Colbert. It was often assumed over the years that he was the general manager in waiting, so to speak, and that indeed appears to be how it has played out.
Did the Steelers make the right move? Reportedly, the team is also essentially creating a new executive position, an assistant general manager, and hiring Andy Weidl into that role. Weidl may have some strengths that appeal to the team that will help delegate responsibilities at the top of the chain of command, so this decision also has to be considered from that perspective.
Khan has certainly been waiting a long time for this opportunity, and he’s had plenty of time to prepare for it—including preparations for the interview process, which he’s gone through a number of times over the years while interviewing for general manager roles elsewhere. Now he gets the job without having to pack.
