Omar Khan Impressing in First Offseason as Steelers GM

Last offseason after the 2022 NFL draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers bid farewell to longtime general manager Kevin Colbert, as he retired after serving slightly over two decades with the Steelers. Pittsburgh then promoted Omar Khan, the former vice president of football and business administration, to become their new general manager. This is his first official offseason as the Steelers GM, so obviously every move he makes will be scrutinized and critiqued. However, so far he has done an amazing job. So let's take a look at some of the moves he has made so far and how they may impact the Steelers going forward.

Signing Patrick Peterson and Retaining James Pierre

The Steelers cornerback room was a bit of a weakness in 2022, so many already expected the Steelers to go out and look for new additions this offseason. Free agency started with the Steelers losing their best corner, Cameron Sutton, to the Detroit Lions. So the Steelers responded by handing veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson a 2 year deal worth 14 million. Peterson is in no way the same lockdown corner he was a few years ago with the Cardinals, however he has still proven to be effective over the past two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. This previous season, he racked up five interceptions, which is the second most he’s recorded in a single season throughout his entire career. In addition to this, Khan was able to bring back 26 year old corner James Pierre on a one year deal. Pierre is not an exceptional player, as he did get benched a few times this previous season for poor play, but he has shown flashes in the past and provides good depth to a rather shallow cornerback room. It is also expected, and predicted by many analysts in various mock drafts, that the Steelers will use one of their early round picks on a corner. Proving that Khan is not settling and still wants to improve this position. Although the Steelers lost Cameron Sutton, bringing in a veteran like Peterson and being able to retain one of their younger, developing players like Pierre were both great moves by Omar Khan.

Bolstering the Interior Offensive Line

Image via: Kevin Sabitus, Getty Images

After signing James Daniels, Mason Cole, and extending Chukwuma Okorafor last offseason, the Steelers offensive line was bound to be better in 2022 than it was in 2021. And it was, however it was still not ideal and needs to be improved again this offseason, mainly at the offensive tackle position. Omar Khan recognized this as he tried to make a run at standout free agent tackle Orlando Brown Jr., who unfortunately signed with the divisional rival Cincinnati Bengals. Despite this, Khan still sent a message that he was bound to improve this unit. The Steelers signed guard Nate Herbig to a 2 year deal worth just 8 million. He provides great depth to the interior of the offensive line. Khan then went out and made his biggest move yet, signing former Eagles’ standout guard Isaac Seumalo to a three year contract. Seumalo was a solidified starter for the Super Bowl runner ups in 2022, and proved himself as one of the better guards in the NFL. Guard was not even the Steelers top need within their offensive line, which just goes to show that Khan will not settle and will continue to improve even those positions that we don’t see as dire needs. The Steelers will now be looking to add a tackle with one of their early round picks in the upcoming draft. Although the interior offensive line wasn’t the Steelers primary position of target to improve, by making these moves to improve the position shows Khan’s aggression and unwillingness to settle for anything less than spectacular.

Overhauling at Inside Linebacker

Last offseason, the Steelers signed linebacker Myles Jack in hopes that he could rejuvenate the inside linebacking core and possibly help Devin Bush finally break out. Although they weren’t terrible in 2022, Jack was not what the Steelers were hoping for, and Bush disappointed yet again. The Steelers ultimately decided to let Bush walk in free agency, and they cut Jack which created 8 million in cap space. Khan started free agency by bringing in former Washington Commanders’ linebacker Cole Holcomb on a 3 year deal. Holcomb served 4 years in Washington, putting up over 100 tackles twice. He was also a team captain for the Commanders. Khan then went out and inked former Dolphins’ and Patriots’ linebacker Elandon Roberts to a two year deal worth 7 million. Roberts had over 100 tackles and 4.5 sacks last season with Miami, and just like Holcomb Roberts was also a captain for his former team. We’ll have to see if an entire positional overhaul will benefit the Steelers in 2023, however Roberts and Holcomb are two solid players and a good start at rebuilding the inside linebacking core.

Overall, none of these moves will be validated as the right or the wrong move until the season comes along. So for now, we might as well sit back and enjoy the rest of free agency and see what else Khan has up his sleeve before the draft rolls around.

(Cover image via: Gene J. Puskar, Associated Press)