With the 2022 new league year, the questions will be plenty for quite a while, even as the Pittsburgh Steelers spend cash and cap space and use draft picks in an effort to find answers. We don’t know who the quarterback is going to be yet—even if we have a good idea. How will the offensive line be formulated? How will the secondary develop amid changes, including to the coaching staff? What does Teryl Austin bring to the table—and Brian Flores? What will Matt Canada’s offense look like absent Ben Roethlisberger?
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
Topic Statement: Kevin Colbert is now sure to stay on board in some capacity with Omar Khan reportedly being set to be named general manager.
Explanation: Colbert has repeatedly said throughout the offseason since he announced that he would be stepping down as general manager that he would be open to remaining within the organization in another capacity as long as he and the team felt that he could “help and not hinder” the organization and the team’s next general manager. That next general manager just so happens to be Omar Khan, with whom Colbert has worked, literally, for decades.
Buy:
While it’s not set in stone, it is now incredibly likely. I have believed all along that it would be more likely than not Colbert sticks around. You saw during his post-draft press conference how much this all means to him—perhaps even more than he realized.
He’s not ready to walk away from the game, even if he is ready to take on less responsibility. With Omar Khan as the general manager, and with Andy Weidl being added as assistant general manager, he can serve in a background advisory capacity similar to Ozzie Newsome in Baltimore, who, similarly, was succeeded by his longtime protégé, Eric DeCosta.
Sell:
It may be the case that hiring Khan makes for a more hospitable environment for Colbert to remain, but do you really think they would also be hiring an assistant general manager, something that they have never had before in the organization’s entire history, if they expected—or perhaps wanted—their former general manager looking over shoulders?
Also, with the hiring of Khan, Colbert surely feels good with where he is leaving the team, something that was obviously very important to him—just look at how much effort they put into addressing the quarterback position this offseason.
The fact that he has remained general manager through May, through free agency, through the draft, tells you how important it was to Colbert to leave the Steelers in as good a position as he possibly could before moving on. He’s done that. He not only got Khan in the chair, but is bringing in Weidl as well. That’s two general manager candidates running the show now. It’s time for him to enjoy life now, as a fan.
