INDIANAPOLIS – The Pittsburgh Steelers started the 2024 season 10-3, but it ended in disaster after they lost their last five games, including their Wild Card Round playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens. Steelers GM Omar Khan addressed the team’s finish Tuesday in an opening statement when talking to the media ahead of the 2025 NFL Combine.
“I’ll just touch on last year real quick. Obviously, it was disappointing, the way we ended was unacceptable.” he said. “We know we have to be better, and people expect better. We expect better, and that can’t happen again. And, you know, I’m just as disappointed as everyone else and I can tell you we’re working hard to fix that and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
“Obviously, you’re 10-3, you’re naturally gonna feel good. You guys all did, the fan base did, felt good. We made a couple trades down there and those trades were made with the intent of helping us down the stretch and get to the playoffs and win playoff games and achieve our ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl, but we’re extremely disappointed, obviously.”
The Steelers’ struggles down the stretch stemmed from a myriad of issues. Offensively, they struggled to get anything going, as teams were able to take away Russell Wilson’s deep ball, which was key to his early success, and the running game never really established itself. Defensively, the Steelers had numerous communication lapses, which left them exposed and allowed teams to march down the field seemingly at will against them.
Pittsburgh has question marks this offseason at the quarterback position, with both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields set to be free agents. Khan said the team is trying to keep one of them, but other positions need to improve, including receiver.
Khan said upgrading the receiver room is a priority, and the Steelers could also add on defense, with the defensive line and cornerback rooms needing reinforcements. It was a disappointing end for Pittsburgh, and Khan seems focused on making the necessary upgrades to ensure the Steelers avoid another first-round playoff exit and compete with the best teams in the league. That is something they failed to do down the stretch, with losses to the Chiefs, Eagles and two to the Ravens.
The Steelers can’t afford to run things back without making upgrades to their roster, and the team is exploring all options with free agency less than a month away. Omar Khan knows how important it is to get back to making the Steelers a contender, and he seems to think that they can get there sooner rather than later.
