A Letter From the Editor: It’s time to see what Omar Khan is made of
The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off a dreadful finish to their 2024 season, and the page couldn’t be turned to the 2025 league year fast enough. However, for many fans there is little-to-no hope for the future as the team remains in the purgatory that is the good-not-great category. But what is coming up with the new league year in March is a golden opportunity for fans around the globe to see what General Manager (GM) Omar Khan and Assistant GM Andy Weidl are truly made of.
Khan is coming off two solid NFL Draft classes, and when you look at his free agent signings, even without a ton of space to work with, he has more hits than misses. What they have awaiting them in the new league year is an amount of cap space they aren’t accustomed to seeing. The Steelers will have roughly $60 million dollars in cap space, but could make that over $70 million with just a few more roster moves which are highly expected.
Equipped with this amount of money, and Khan’s ability to manipulate contracts to ease the burden of signings, this league year will be his time to shine. If the Steelers front office is capable of being aggressive, all while remaining smart, in free agency it could help not just with fan confidence, but putting the Steelers in a better position to succeed.
In my opinion, even with a killer free agent crop and another stellar draft class, the Steelers aren’t an elite level team. This might be depressing for some fans reading this article, but it doesn’t mean 2025 will be a waste, or meaningless. Instead, it could be a stepping stone to the team proving they are truly a quarterback away.
That is the goal at hand this offseason, to build a roster which is strong enough to be able to have an above average, but not elite, quarterback at the helm and win meaningful games. The holes are well-known, and many, and it will be up to Khan and company to get those needs addressed before thinking about a major play for a quarterback who could put them over that proverbial hump.
One of the worst-case scenarios for the Steelers would be to invest heavily at the quarterback position before the rest of the roster is truly ready to contend. Doing so would be similar to when they drafted Najee Harris in Round 1 of the 2021 NFL Draft without a decent line to block for him. The result? Harris struggled just to get back to the line of scrimmage on most occasions.
If the Steelers were to make a trade for a player like Matthew Stafford, they might win 9-11 games, make the playoffs, but will they win a Super Bowl? Unfortunately, the likelihood of that happening is slim. Instead, it would keep the Steelers in the same rut they currently find themselves in on an almost yearly basis.
At this point, you might be wondering how long the Steelers are going to be in this current position?
Great question.
The answer is unknown, but it is fair to wonder if the team views their roster differently than the fan base. If they feel they are just a few pieces away to contend for a Super Bowl. If that’s the case, you can expect them to do whatever they think is best to try and win now. However, if they view the roster as a few seasons away, there is also a chance the team could look to leverage their current roster to help their future roster via trade.
Would dealing George Pickens to another team hurt the current team? It absolutely would make the need at wide receiver even greater than it is now, but it could also provide draft capital which could benefit the team down the road.
The same story could be told about any player who might be sought after by another team who is willing to give up valuable assets in doing so.
All options should be on the table this offseason, and this is the type of offseason where you get to see what a GM and his team are truly made of. Are they like Howie Roseman and company who have built a championship roster in short order? Or will they fall into the same trap as other GMs around the league who don’t spend the money wisely, draft poorly, and hold onto players too long and watch the organization who employs them having to start over as they hire a new GM?
We’ll know soon enough, but it’s time to see what Khan is made of.
Great piece!
Yes, this is a huge off-season for Kahn and the FO and I sincerely hope they will do just as you suggest and build for the future. Not a total tear down, but moves that recognize the team is a year or two away from competing for a Super Bowl.
Use FA and the draft to address the glaring needs at DT, CB, and WR and, counterintuitively, at OG. Build lines that are pretty good this year, but can be truly dominant in the year beyond that and further out. The depth of the draft class at positions of need works in the Steelers’s favor with this approach.
And finding a bridge QB in FA, even our own (I’m plumping for Fields) behind a stronger OLine with better skill position support should keep the team in contention for the playoffs, if not a deep run, but I don’t think that this year’s team is close enough, even with Stafford to compete. Take a deep breath, build for the future, and expect to endure another season of whining about Tomlin’s inability to coach to set up multiple seasons of potential greatness beyond 2025.
$60M is a lot of money to make this team better VERY quickly, and that doesn’t include the Draft.
The DT position is priority #1 IMO this offseason. Cam is amazing, but old. Benton looks to be a great piece for the future, but outside of an aging Larry O, there isn’t much material to work with to make this DL as good as we saw Philadelphia’s DL. Thankfully, we have the only piece we need… Andy Weidl.
As much as Omar Khan gets the praise, let’s not forget who helped build this years SB winner, and the fact that he’s sitting in PIT’s building. Omar Khan would be wise to take lots of Weidl’s advice this year.
I know we need a QB but a Wilson signing just feel like a run back, similar to the Roethlisberger days. Khan and Weidl appear to be in rebuild mode with how they invested in the OL, rebuilding the trenches if you will. The same approach, in my humble opinion, needs to take place along the defensive front and to clarify that is the 3 Interior Defensive Lineman. I will continue my push for Milton Williams in Free Agency until it isn’t a thing and I will continue my plea for a double dip in the draft as well, similar to what the OL did in 2024. The class is deep and you have to take advantage of those things when they present themselves.
An IDL Depth Chart consisting of
Cam Heyward
Milton Williams
Keeanu Benton
Derrick Harmon – Draft
Darius Alexander – Draft
Monte Adams
Dean Lowery
Logan Lee
Looks better than
Cam Heyward
Keeanu Benton
Larry Ogunjobi
Monte Adams
Milkman
Dean Lowery
Logan Lee
I realize there are other areas of need like CB WR and RB. Some secondary positions like another long term Guard and some Safety depth. It will be interesting to see how the direction plays out in 2025. There’s a decent amount of cap space already and even more to be had if the choose to use it. Obviously the QB situation looms large but so does the question of an extension for TJ Watt. Those two topics alone could add to some serious conversations amongst the fanbase. The combine is next on the docket and soon to follow the 2025 season geys under way. One things for sure there is always plenty to talk about concerning the Steelers. Keep up the great work folks!!!!! And congrats on the upgrade on the site.
Refreshing to read an article about the Steelers that doesn’t hesitate to name flaws, but also acknowledges strengths.
I agree this will be a crucial year for Kahn; they need a QB, but have other critical needs as well.
If, as I suspect they will, the Steelers view this draft as an opportunity to buttress critical areas of need on D (D line first and foremost), but take an offensive play maker if one drops into their lap, I will be satisfied.
What many of the whiniest members of that other Steelers site fail to recognize; those that are calling for Tomlin to be fired, coaches to be fired, etc, etc, etc…
…is that it can be viewed that Kahn is actuall setting up the pieces to achieve just that. Imagine the Steelers come out of this draft with a robust defensive rookie class, and they make free agent moves to improve the WR room.
The only thing missing will be the QB. I suspect Fields will be signed, with the view that the Steelers will succeed or fail on his performance. That will give them two to three years of better draft picks (if he flails as a Starter), AND will put the heat on Tomlin to perform with the quality players Kahn and Weidl have given him
Come contract renewal time, it most likely will NOT be a foregone conclusion that Tomlin is renewed, if the Steelers don’t make a deep playoff run.
These are all great points.
(And great to see you guys again!)
PAVA! Good to see you here in the comment section!
Solid work Jeff. I fear the few superstars they currently have will age out before this roster is restocked. Since that’s how I view this team I would absolutely deal said superstars now while they still have value. I really don’t see them moving any players, so incremental will indeed be the pace.
See ever since the Superbowl many Steeler fans have advocating for the Steelers to build a DL like the one the Eagles have but is that the right way to go about things? Sure Phily’s DL dominated the game but had KC had a stronger OL what are the chances that the Eagles DL dominates the way they did against a bad OL?
This is a case of selective memory. Fans only remember the last game and nothing else. Tell me something if the way Phily built there DL is the way to go why don’t other teams follow suit? I’ve seen KC lose playoff games to NE and Cincy and neither team had a DL that equal or even half of what the Eagles DL is. TB did the same thing but how a team plays 1 year doesn’t mean it will follow suit the next year.
Buffalo has played KC as close as anybody in the Playoffs and there DL isn’t the Eagles but yet I don’t hear Buffalo Fans clamoring for the team to change it’s ways on Defense just to beat Mahomes.
I’m not saying that the Steelers should neglect the DL my whole point is don’t look at what the Eagles did and say “That’s how your supposed to play” cause it’s the wrong mentality.
In this years draft I want Steeler Fans to look at each position and ask themselves “Which players make the most sense”?
Your point makes a lot of sense; however, it’s clear that the only real path to a championship involves taking down the top of the food chain, and since Mahomes has been in the league, that’s been the Chiefs. When looking at the two Super Bowls Mahomes has lost, the clear difference has been the pressure from the defensive line. So, even though I understand your argument, it seems that to beat Mahomes, having an elite pass-rushing unit capable of causing havoc in his backfield
That’s true but NE and Cincy each own a Playoff victory, more specifically an AFC Title Game Win over Mahomes and as I recall neither of those teams DL was “dominant”. They were opportunistic when the opportunities came. The way Phily played was a way better version of the Prevent Defense. The Eagles were able to rush with 4 and play 7 back and there LB’s are more of a cover based type of player with a little pass rush ability though it helps to have what 3-4 guys from the Georgia D whereas others teams I feel can’t bring themselves to do that and it’s there prerogative to do so.
I go back to what I said before and that was yes the DL is important I don’t dispute that not a single bit but fans have to look at the whole picture and ask themselves is it all about the DL or is it more of strengthening the whole D as opposed to just 1 unit?
Great points, 87.
I would add, though, that many of us have been saying that everything starts with the lines for a long time before the Eagles won the Super Bowl. So this isn’t recency bias from me, anyway, it’s a foundational belief. Sure, I’ll point to the Eagles as a recent example that shows it works, but I’m not saying we should do it because they did it. I’m saying we should do it because everything starts with the line. (More true on the offensive side, but still somewhat true on the defensive side).
And I don’t think we need to scrap our preferred 3-4 because the Eagles don’t run one, and I’m not sure we should make wholesale changes to our preferred defensive personnel (prioritizing some flexibility over massive less moveable objects) as I’ve seen some suggest because Derrick Henry had a good game against us.
But I do think we need to invest in the less flashy positions that anchor the rest of the units. To go back to the SB (I know, recency bias, but it’s illustrative, not the only example) — Mahomes is an all time great quarterback, but even he couldn’t overcome a porous OLine. It doesn’t matter who’s taking the snaps if they’re under constant pressure.
I’m on record as saying I hope the team will invest a high pick in a guard. I think this offensive line could be a dominant force in the NFL, which will make it slightly less consequential who is taking the snaps and who is running through the holes they create. It isn’t sexy, but I really think it could make a huge difference.
Here is my view of things (old-fashioned as they are). A defense that succeeds manages to take away aspects of the offense. Having a DL that can get pressure with 3-4 people, frees others up to find other ways to muck up the offense. Like waiting at the edge for a running back, or playing extra CB/S to get after receivers. It would free up Watt, Highsmith/Herbig to get after a QB while taking run lanes out of the middle of the field. More pressure without blitzing forces the QB to process things faster, which helps your defensive backfield. But this brings me to something else, and I feel this is a major problem with our beloved team, coaching. No, not Tomlin, but I suspect he is part of the problem, it’s Austin. They have the highest-paid defense, with some premiere talent, and they collapse. Be it by scheme or injury, Watt was silent for the last five games. In those last five games, the defense was horrid, including a 300-yard abomination where they were just run over by a truck repeatedly.
Speaking of which, the type of ball Tomlin wants to play, and I love the idea, you can’t do much of anything if you can’t run the ball and control the clock. That type of ball runs on a schedule, and this team is unable to do it. Is it a talent problem, I don’t think it is. Again, I think it is a poor coach trying to run a scheme that his players are unable to or uncomfortable with running. We’ve seen above-average linemen come here and regress, we’ve watched as players fail to develop, and we’ve watched some go elsewhere to look serviceable.
TLDR: My point with the wall of text is that while Philly has done well to build a killer defensive line, one that is the envy of all of us old-school “defense wins championships” mindset… They’ve also found quality coaches who can properly use the talent they’ve been given to work with. Ultimately, the reason the Philly defense with its “weaker” defensive line was able to decimate the Chiefs’ “superior” line was that the Philly coaches figured something out, and exploited it, while as good as the Chiefs’ staff was, they couldn’t make adjustments (or the adjustments were planned for).
a true Pittsburgh Steelers fan, since the 70’s Steelers Omar Khan has George Pickens for draft capital to move up in the 2025 draft
I would change the angle on this and title the article “Time for Steelers to Make Omar Khan the Boss” and become less head coach centric. We read and hear constantly which QB Tomlin and Smith want. What would Omar do?
As long as Tomlin is there with his stubborn approach and philosophy, the team will rinse and repeat. He needs to get competent coordinators in to do their job, and quit living in his fears and relinquish control. In the long run it could be a super bowl, but go ahead and not use the middle of the field and stymie your offense, let’s be conservative and hope our stars can pull out a 4th quarter win, as we start slow again and again. And keep relying on tomlin one and done defense which hasn’t proved well in key situations. Khan has done IMO a good job, but if the coaches, especially the HC, cannot develop players then it means nothing until they go to another team. And players like Heyward and Watt can waste their talent, and look back on being on non-losing seasons, and reminence on those eloquent yet clunky word salad inspirational speeches, and think good gawd that was great not to win a ring!