Typically, the Pittsburgh Steelers are very conservative in the trade market and in free agency. But in recent years, things have changed dramatically under new GM Omar Khan.
In the two offseasons in which Khan has been in charge of the roster, the Steelers have been much more aggressive via trade and have handed out some sizable contracts in free agency, changing things up from the usual mode of operation for the franchise.
For team president and owner Art Rooney II, there’s a method to Khan’s madness. That’s to improve the team as quickly as possible to get back to competing for the ultimate prize of a Super Bowl championship.
Speaking with reporters Tuesday from the NFL Owners Meetings in Orlando, Rooney stated that the Steelers’ moves have been all about getting better as quickly as possible, period.
“Every year we try to figure out how we get better and how do we get better as quickly as possible,” Rooney said Tuesday, according to original reporting from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Joe Rutter. “I think that’s the bottom line: try to get better as quickly as possible.”
In today’s NFL, that’s how it has to be. No longer can teams afford to simply build through the draft, retain their own free agents and trust that the developmental process will pay off eventually. In the era of player movement and quick fixes, teams have shown the ability to change their fortunes very quickly, going from a team near the bottom of the league into contenders with some shrewd moves.
Though the Steelers haven’t been one of those teams viewed as bottom of the league in recent years, they haven’t exactly been contenders, either.
Khan, to his credit, has done a nice job of being aggressive yet smart in free agency, plugging some holes the last few seasons with the likes of Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts and Patrick Queen at inside linebacker, Damontae Kazee and DeShon Elliott at safety, Isaac Seumalo at guard and most recently Russell Wilson at quarterback.
Trades have been key for Khan, too. He was able to trade up to land Broderick Jones in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, addressing a major need for the Steelers. He also flipped Diontae Johnson for Donte Jackson this offseason and acquired Justin Fields for cheap from the Chicago Bears, taking advantage of a depleted market.
Just now entering Week 3 of the NFL’s new league year, the Steelers are a better team now than they were coming out of the Wild Card Round loss to the Buffalo Bills. That’s a credit to the work that Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl have put in reshaping the roster, aiming to get the Steelers improved as quickly as possible to try and compete at a high level in 2024.
After Rooney stated earlier in the offseason that the Steelers have “had enough of this” regarding their lack of playoff success, the Steelers have moved quickly to try and address that problem. So far, so good.
