Former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback and current team scout Ike Taylor knows a thing or two about the Steelers. He played all 12 seasons of his NFL career in Pittsburgh and started working for them during the run-up to the 2023 NFL draft. He has plenty of experience with the Steelers as a player, a member of the media, and now as a member of the scouting staff.
So if Taylor says that the Steelers’ 2023 offseason is the most aggressive he remembers, there’s probably something to it. On the May 30th episode of the Bleav in Steelers podcast with Mark Bergin, the pair discussed the addition of outside linebacker Markus Golden, the latest veteran named added to the roster.
“I’ve never seen Pittsburgh being this aggressive in an offseason ever,” Taylor said. “It says a lot about the ‘Wrath of Omar Khan,’ aka ‘the Khan artist.’ He’s trying to do this thing right now. Just seeing how Omar is moving, it’s like he’s trying to get the locker room to where it used to be when I played. Aggressive, violent on defense, depth on defense, competitive, and we were winning Super Bowls.”
Pittsburgh has a reputation to uphold as one of the best teams and organizations in the NFL. However, the reality is that the team hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016. For general manager Omar Khan, the 2023 offseason is his first as general manager after replacing longtime GM Kevin Colbert. If people thought that the Steelers would operate along the status quo because Khan had been with the team since 2021, the first week of free agency indicated things were going to be different.
In fact, the entire 2023 offseason has been different, which certainly prompted Taylor’s “aggressive” comment. As of writing, the Steelers either signed or re-signed 18 free agents this offseason. Khan has addressed depth needs like in the case of Golden and brought in starters like cornerback Patrick Peterson and guard Isaac Seumalo. Then you factor in adding a potential starting offensive lineman in tackle Broderick Jones and a mauling throwback tight end in Darnell Washington, and the aggressive picture becomes clearer.
Aggressive can end up going quite well or it can blow up in your face. However, no one can fault Khan for trying to swing for the fences as much as he possibly could this offseason. Whether he continues to be aggressive in addressing needs in the future remains to be seen, but Taylor is convinced that Khan is taking the right approach in trying to get the Steelers back to the promised land.
“For Pittsburgh, getting to the playoffs ain’t good enough,” Taylor said. “[Khan] is on a mission to get to the Super Bowl and to win it.”
Taylor won two Super Bowls during his playing days with the Steelers, and Khan has two rings as part of the front office staff. They both know that it’s been too long since Pittsburgh has been a championship contender. In Taylor’s mind, Khan is doing everything he can to fix that as quickly as possible.
