Steelers' Ramon Foster Believes He Likely Would've Left Team Sooner Had Omar Khan Been His General Manager

The Pittsburgh Steelers entered a new era in 2022 when Omar Khan took over the role of General Manager from Kevin Colbert. Khan wasn't new to the organization as he had been with the team for nearly as long as Colbert was. Now that we have undergone a full season with Khan fully at the helm, the media and fans like to compare the similarities and differences. 

It is fair to say that many people assumed Khan would just be Colbert 2.0. As previously mentioned, the two had worked hand and hand in the tight-knit organization since Khan was hired in 2001 as an administration coordinator and Colbert was the Director of Football Operations. However, that couldn't be further from the truth. Khan has shown that he is not a Colbert clone and after a fairly aggressive, at least by Steelers standards, 2023 offseason, he has made his mark. 

He did something during the 2023 NFL Draft that the Steelers rarely do; he moved up for a first-round pick and took the offensive tackle, Broderick Jones out of the University of Georgia. The majority applauded Khan's "aggressive" first draft, but Khan said that he didn't see it that way. He said he is just trying to win a Super Bowl. 

Khan is also shrugging off the typecast that he is just the "money guy." While he is known to be a salary cap guru, he has also pulled off several trades that have him looking like a personnel genius including unloading Chase Claypool for what was practically a first-round pick. However, not everyone says they would have wanted to be on the roster when Khan rose to power. 

Steelers' Ramon Foster Says He Might Have Been Out Of A Job If Omar Khan Was General Manager

Former Steelers offensive guard, Ramon Foster knows both Colbert and Khan well. He spent 11 seasons in Pittsburgh helping to anchor one of the best lines in black and gold history. Now, Foster co-hosts a podcast, The Ramon Foster Show, with reporter Dejan Kovacevic, which airs on DK Pittsburgh Sports. Recently, Foster was asked about playing under different general managers, in this case, Khan versus Colbert. 

He said the biggest difference is that Colbert was more conservative and he would tend to sit back and see if things fell to the Steelers. Foster said the unfortunate thing is that sometimes you miss guys that would have been good pieces to your team. The team also fails to cut some guys that they maybe should have cut sooner. 

"You look at what Kev did over that time and you say, 'It was good, it was real good.' We never lost. He had job security. We may have let a coach or coordinator go here and there, but it's solid."  

Conversely, he sees Khan as having "patient aggressiveness" in the way in which he helps run the organization. He points out that Khan isn't outrageously aggressive, it is just new to the fanbase. He said he was operating differently, signing players during camp probably earlier than Colbert would have, such as Alex Highsmith. He added that some of his influence is not so obvious.

"Pitting Dan Moore against Chuks (Chukwuma Okorafor) right now is one of those things Omar is doing. When you're hot, you're hot, just go!"

Kovacevic added that he agrees, but says he would call Khan "analytically aggressive." He sees Khan as someone who looks at every angle of a player and analyzes the pros and cons before making an objective decision. While Colbert was more likely to keep a player because someone is perceived to be a "Steeler" and because fans and the coaching staff alike loved that player.

Some of the biggest offseason moves have been with the offensive line. Kovacevic points out that they decided two linemen, Kevin Dotson, and Chukwuma Okorafor, just aren't working out or aren't giving the team exactly what they need so they brought in competition. That isn't done on a hunch or a gut feeling. A championship is the ultimate goal. 

"Not only are we going to replace these guys, we're going to put heavy football capital into it," Kovacevic said. "We're gonna pay Isaac Seumalo a ton of money. We're gonna trade up to number 14 overall for Broderick Jones. That's pretty significant."  

Foster agreed and said that analytics are not the way of his Steelers teams. He said that, during the Colbert era, when he played with Alejandro Villanueva, Maurkice Pouncey, and David DeCastro, the groups were different then. Foster mentioned that he and the other linemen have discussed these differences before. He added that it definitely would have impacted how long he stayed with the team if Khan had been his general manager.

"We spoke about it. We didn't do a whole lot of analytics. We walked into stadiums and simply beat people up. I look at this situation and I might have been out a year or two earlier had Omar been the GM, or maybe Al doesn't get resigned or Marcus (Gilbert) was out sooner or DeAngelo (Williams) may have not got signed. We might have paid Le'Veon [Bell]."

It is hard to say that one method is better than another this early in Khan's reign. It is understandable that people feel Khan is headed in the right direction. After so many years of staying the course, it is exciting to watch the team take some chances and go after the players that are truly needed. 

Only time will tell if Khan's more aggressive methods top Colbert's. While people complain about Colbert, the team did make it to three Super Bowls under his guidance, winning two of them. Colbert is generally given a lot of credit for directing the building of those teams. 

What do you think about Colbert vs. Khan? Do you think Khan is more aggressive or just different? Do you see one as better than the other? What is your prediction for Khan? Will he match Colbert's two Super Bowls? Click to comment below. 

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