The Pittsburgh Steelers have not made a draft day trade to move up in the first round since the infamous Devin Bush Jr. debacle. It is arguably the worst draft move of the Kevin Colbert era and scarred the entire fan base. Omar Khan is in his first offseason as the general manager and he hinted he would trade up if it made sense. Khan pulled the trigger during the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft and the Steelers got their franchise left tackle in Broderick Jones.
"I don't know if i'd call myself aggressive. I'm just trying to win a Super Bowl. That's what I'm trying to do." - GM Omar Khan pic.twitter.com/jybyl5848B
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) April 28, 2023
Khan put his trust in his partners Andy Weidl and Mike Tomlin and acquired pick 14 from the New England Patriots. When Tomlin and Khan met the media after the selection of the Georgia Bulldogs tackle, he downplayed that the move was proof of his aggression as a general manager and reiterated what the end goal in Pittsburgh is supposed to be, the Super Bowl.
-544x306.jpg "Steelers Mike Tomlin")
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (@JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin smiles through the team's pregame warmups in Pittsburgh, PA.
Tomlin has to be all smiles at this point because, with all due respect to Colbert, the Steelers' normal offseason philosophy has been cast off by Khan. He is widely acknowledged as a salary cap expert and has a reputation as being tremendous on the business side of the job. Khan has already executed multiple trades, bringing in the first pick in the second round, Allen Robinson, and now Jones. If he is this good at personnel moves, then he must be an absolute genius at the other parts of the job.
Steelers GM Omar Khan Putting On A Clinic During First Offseason
The Steelers have built through the draft for decades, but they have not won a playoff game since TJ Watt joined the team. The 2016 victory against the Kansas City Chiefs is ancient history and Khan seems intent on changing the fortunes of the black and gold. He is taking big swings, but they are calculated. Khan is demonstrating a key personality trait that is fundamental to success. He doesn’t know what he doesn’t know and Khan found the right people to fill in gaps in his knowledge.
NFL Films
Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger hands the fourth game ball to Jerome Bettis upon winning Super Bowl XL.
Pittsburgh has six Lombardi Trophies, but has not appeared in a Super Bowl since 2011. The presence of Ben Roethlisberger and the perception they were always one drive away from the next trip to the big game, allowed the team to drift into a malaise during the latter stages of the future Hall of Famer’s career.
The Steelers under Khan's leadership have assembled one of the best set of talent evaluators in the league. Weidl is a gifted executive with a knack for building the trenches and Tomlin may be the best coach in the NFL at meeting with draft prospects and identifying the young men with traits that belong in a black and gold uniform.
Derik Hamilton / Associated Press
Steelers QB Kenny Pickett scrambling in Philadelphia in the 2022 NFL regular season.
The Steelers embarked on a new beginning with Kenny Pickett and Khan in 2022 and Khan seems intent on that partnership ending with ring ceremonies in Pittsburgh. The front office still has work to do, but they have a young franchise-level quarterback on a rookie deal and a general manager who will not settle for less than playing football in early February. That is a tune that the fan base has to be excited to hear.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Is this the level of performance you have been aching for in the Pittsburgh front office? Please comment below, or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
