The Steelers are now in their offseason after failing to reach the playoffs in 2022, coming up just a game short of sneaking in as the seventh seed. They needed help in week 18 and only got some of it, so instead they sat home and watched the playoffs with the rest of us.
On tap is figuring out how to be on the field in January and February instead of being a spectator. They started out 2-6, digging a hole that proved too deep to dig out of even if they managed to go 7-2 in the second half of the year.
Starting from the end of the regular season and leading all the way up to the beginning of the 2023 season, there are plenty of questions that need answered, starting with who will be the offensive coordinator. Which free agents will be kept? Who might be let go due to their salary? How might they tackle free agency with this new front office? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout this offseason, as we have for many years.
Question: How has Omar Khan done so far in his first full league year as general manager?
The Pittsburgh Steelers are not the first organization one thinks of when it comes to change, but they’ve had about all they can handle recently. With the switchover at quarterback to the front office, a lot that has been taken for granted for a long period of time is now gone.
And yet there remains some familiarity. Their new quarterback played at Pitt, in the same building, on the same field. Their new general manager has already been in the organization for decades. But that’s neither here nor there. The only question that matters is a simple one: how is Omar Khan doing?
Khan rose up the ranks in the Steelers’ front office over the past two decades under Kevin Colbert, who would eventually take on the title of general manager. They didn’t hand Khan, the job, however; indeed, he was part of a thorough vetting process that resulting in them also hiring Andy Weidl, the presumed runner-up, to the newly created position of assistant general manager.
Since the start of the new league year, marking his first in full running the show, Khan has overseen an offseason in which the Steelers have overturned the inside linebacker room. Robert Spillane and Devin Bush were allowed to leave, replaced in free agency with Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts.
While they lost the bidding for cornerback Cameron Sutton (and safety Terrell Edmunds), they brought in Patrick Peterson and Keanu Neal. They have made small moves to address depth, for example, at the tackle position.
The biggest move was the addition of Isaac Seumalo to the starting offensive line, who should plug in right away at left guard. They also signed Nate Herbig, but there is no clear path for him to start; at worst, he provides valuable depth.
Taking into consideration what has transpired up to this point and what is left to come, how would you evaluate the Steelers’ offseason thus far and the job Khan has done overseeing it? Are they well-positioned to strengthen the team efficiently through the draft?
