Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan has been with the team for a long time in football terms. He originally joined the organization in 2001 and took over as general manager in 2022, replacing longtime GM Kevin Colbert. Needless to say, Khan hasn’t had a whole lot of time to leave his imprint on the roster as the head man. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t tried his best.
Perhaps it’s that short length of time in charge that led to his spot in Pro Football Network’s GM Rankings. PFN’s Dallas Robinson ranked Khan 21st.
“A 20+ year veteran of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ front office, Omar Khan acted quickly when Kenny Pickett — his predecessor’s first-round QB choice — proved incapable of above-average play,” Robinson wrote. “Khan traded Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles while signing starter Russell Wilson and trading for upside backup Justin Fields. It was a creative solution for a unique Pittsburgh problem. Khan used the past two drafts to give the Steelers’ offense a punishing identity, adding three offensive line starters in Broderick Jones, Troy Fautanu, and Zach Frazier.”
There’s nothing Robinson spells out that could be construed as a bad job by Khan. So it simply has to be that Khan hasn’t been on the job long enough to merit consideration for a higher spot. That’s understandable as Khan will only have been officially the Steelers’ general manager for two years by the end of May.
However, it’s also easy to see that Khan is working hard to improve the Steelers. Robinson noted Khan’s work with the offensive line, which also includes 2024 fourth-round pick G Mason McCormick. Khan has also pursued upgrades at inside linebacker by signing Elandon Roberts, Cole Holcomb, and Kwon Alexander before last season while signing Patrick Queen and drafting Payton Wilson this year.
However, we know that general managers are judged more by their moves at quarterback than anything else (other than maybe hiring head coaches). Khan moved on quickly from Pickett as well as cutting Mitch Trubisky early in the offseason and not re-signing Mason Rudolph. He completely remade the quarterback room in the span of a few months.
Only time will tell whether Omar Khan is a great, or even good, general manager. I think that’s why he’s ranked so low and not due to some perceived terrible job in his first two years.
