If the Pittsburgh Steelers are making a move for a wide receiver, GM Omar Khan has a great poker face. Appearing on the Pat McAfee Show Tuesday afternoon, Khan splashed cold water on the idea the team is setting up to make a move for a wideout.
“I heard about it. I didn’t exactly see it. There’s nothing going on right now,” he told the show of the rumors. “I’m not exactly sure what the verbiage was, what was reported. But nothing to report.”
Yesterday, Bryant McFadden added fuel to the rumor mill fire by teasing Khan was close to acquiring an “explosive playmaker.” He didn’t specify who, only noting it wasn’t the return of his cousin Patrick Peterson to the team. Denver Broncos beat writer Mike Klis believes it’s not for WR Courtland Sutton, tamping down speculation that the Broncos could move him.
The Steelers do have a clear need at wide receiver. Though the team added Michigan’s Roman Wilson, there is still a hole on the outside opposite George Pickens. Wilson is more of a slot receiver, playing outside a fair amount in 2021 but primarily in the slot over the past two seasons for the Wolverines. Three-receiver groupings are also less common under new OC Arthur Smith. If the team taps into the free agent market, it could look at DJ Chark or the recently released Zay Jones, though the latter is more of an underneath receiver.
Pittsburgh’s been linked to every receiver imaginable this offseason. From Brandon Aiyuk to Courtland Sutton and everyone in between, the team’s yet to make that big splash move. Perhaps Omar Khan is sincere that there aren’t many talks or at least, that those talks haven’t gone anywhere. Of course, if he’s trying to make something happen, he certainly won’t be discussing it publicly. And any trade talks could go from cold to red-hot in an instant. We’ll see if McFadden’s claim comes true.
