For seemingly the second straight offseason, Pittsburgh Steelers GM Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl nailed the offseason via free agency, trades and in the NFL draft.
They brought in players like linebacker Patrick Queen, safety DeShon Elliott and quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields via free agency and trade. They also added some serious size and strength along the offensive line in the 2024 NFL Draft and landed one of the best linebackers in the class in Payton Wilson.
Thanks to the busiest offseason the Steelers have ever had, one that could be one of the better ones in the 2000s for the Steelers, Pittsburgh received an offseason grade of “B+” from Pro Football Focus’s Trevor Sikkema.
“The Steelers needed to improve their quarterback room for 2024, but I didn’t see that change coming in the way it did. They signed Russell Wilson, traded Kenny Pickett to the Eagles, released Mitch Trubisky and traded for Justin Fields,” Sikkema writes, also noting that Mason Rudolph is no longer on the team. “They also traded away Diontae Johnson and added Patrick Queen. Offensive line was a big area of need for Pittsburgh, and they made three key draft picks there, all of whom could turn into starters.
“While a results-based analysis will have to wait, it’s hard to knock the Steelers’ aggressiveness in reshaping their quarterback room and offensive line.”
Entering the offseason, the Steelers knew they had to find an answer at quarterback. Kenny Pickett struggled in Year 2, offensive coordinator Matt Canada was fired during the 2023 season, Mitch Trubisky was released after it and the stance was taken that they wanted pending free agent Mason Rudolph back.
Then things changed drastically.
The Steelers met with and ultimately landed Wilson as a free agent, which upset Pickett, leading to him requesting a trade. The Steelers flipped him to the Eagles and one day later swung a trade with the Chicago Bears for Fields. They allowed Rudolph to walk in free agency, where he signed with the Tennessee Titans, before the Steelers then added Kyle Allen on a one-year deal.
In the blink of an eye the Steelers’ quarterback room went from underwhelming with a low ceiling to rather exciting with a high ceiling, especially under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
Along with the quarterback room, Pittsburgh had to address the offensive line and the off-ball linebacker positions. Consider those boxes checked as well.
Khan and Weidl made a huge splash in free agency with the signing of Queen, stealing him away from the Baltimore Ravens on a three-year deal and shoreing up the position with Cole Holcomb still an unknown and Eland Roberts as the only dependable linebacker on the roster at the time.
Then, Khan and Weidl doubled down, drafting Payton Wilson out of North Carolina State in the third round at No. 98 overall, pouncing on a player who had first-round-worthy tape but fell due to some medical concerns.
As far as the offensive line, the Steelers landed Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier with the first two picks in the draft. They added Mason McCormick in the fourth round, helping Pittsburgh do something for the first time since 1976, drafting three offensive linemen in the first five picks.
Analysis won’t be able to truly happen from a success or failure standpoint until the teams hit the field and start to play meaningful games. But, as Sikkema writes, it’s hard to knock the Steelers for how aggressive they were this offseason in reshaping their roster and plugging some key holes, including at quarterback and on the offensive line.
Hopefully it pays off on the field and helps them win more games and compete for a Super Bowl.
