The goal of a NFL general manager should be to construct as strong of a roster as possible, hopefully building a team that can be an annual playoff contender and pursue Super Bowls.
Having six Super Bowl trophies in their trophy case, the Pittsburgh Steelers have sat atop of the NFL throne numerous times throughout their history. However, that hasn’t been the case recently with the team’s last Lombardi coming back in 2008 and their last playoff win coming in 2016.
While the star players are vital to any successful team, the other starters and role players make up the majority of your roster. GM Omar Khan spoke with Pat Kirwan and Jim Miller on Movin’ The Chains on SiriusXM NFL Radio recently and was asked about the talent and depth that Pittsburgh added to the roster this offseason. Khan mentioned that adding proven quality players was a key objective for the Steelers this offseason, creating a competitive atmosphere that forces the cream to rise to the top.
“We made it clear early on that competition at every position was important for us,” Khan said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “And, you know, we accomplished it in most areas, and we have some great battles going on here. We really do. And it’s a lot of fun. And, you know, the other thing, versatility was also important too. Some of those guys that you mentioned, the one thing we liked is guys that have the ability to play multiple positions. But in general, you know, we have a lot of competition here. It’s exciting and some good battles here.”
As mentioned in a previous article, Khan has taken the approach of leaving no stone unturned when it comes to building the best team possible to make a playoff run. The team completely overhauled the inside linebacker room from a year ago, and even after adding four new veterans into the fold, the Steelers went out and signed ILB Kwon Alexander to add more competition to the position group. The team brought in multiple offensive and defensive linemen to battle for depth positions and have added numerous weapons into the fold at wide receiver to fight for playing time behind George Pickens and Diontae Johnson.
Needless to say, this is the deepest team Pittsburgh has had at a long time, having several former starters with notable NFL experience sitting the bench rather than relying on a UDFA rookie to step in if the starter was to go down. This shows the approach Khan and the rest of the front office took this offseason, overturning the bottom of the roster and adding players who have done it before in the league. With all of the added competition on both sides of the ball, the best players will come out of training camp and the regular season challenged, giving Pittsburgh a battle-tested roster that is ready for the opposition in 2023.
