Stability is among the Pittsburgh Steelers’ chief values, and we see that even amid transition. After Kevin Colbert, their longtime general manager, retired they promoted Omar Khan to succeed him. And while he has put his own thumbprint on how they do things, including significant turnover in personnel, it is often variations on a theme, an evolution, rather than a departure.
Still, it wasn’t enough for 160 executives and head coaches from around the major American sports leagues from regarding the Steelers particularly highly. In a recent Athletic poll, the Steelers’ front office only ranked 37th among the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL. Among NFL teams alone, they only cracked the top 10.
Respondents ranked their top five front offices, with first place receiving 10 points. Second place received seven points, third place five, fourth place three, and fifth place one. The Steelers finished with 19 points, including one first-place vote.
The Athletic polled 40 respondents in each league, and they ranked the top five teams within their own league, for clarity. It’s a pragmatic approach, as an executive of the Pistons isn’t likely to have intimate knowledge of the Steelers.
Based on the combined data of these polls, however, the Steelers’ reputation isn’t overly glowing. That seems to fit where they are right now: just good enough to be in the running but largely running in place. It’s quite clear that they are not seen as one of the best in sports right now, though.
The Oklahoma Thunder came out on top, dominating the NBA’s votes, with the Los Angeles Dodgers second, first in the MLB. The Baltimore Ravens ranked third overall and had 15 of the NFL’s 40 first-place votes. They were one of three NFL teams in the top 10, the Chiefs at eight and 49ers at 10.
For the Steelers, they are still finding their new voice, to a degree. Or at least, the outside world is. We are still learning about Omar Khan and what his identity is, and that’s hard to glean from two offseasons. He has had two drafts so far, and the 2023 draft is reminding us to wait it up before judging.
It was an interesting offseason, though, for the Steelers, which saw them move on from Kenny Pickett. Drafted to be their potential franchise quarterback, he is now the Eagles’ backup by Year 3. A rare opportunity allowed them to pursue Russell Wilson, which has yielded largely positive results.
But the Steelers ultimately judge themselves on playoff success and hardware. Are they any closer to that this year than they had been in recent years? They haven’t won a playoff game since 2016, and surely the voters know that. We primarily judge these things based on their results, which is why they do what they do. If your machinations don’t lead to success, barring drastic circumstances, how successful could you have been?
