Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Omar Khan has had a charmed run in his first year in the position. He traded Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears for what turned out to be Joey Porter Jr. in return. He traded up in the first round to get Broderick Jones and down in the third round to get Darnell Washington and Nick Herbig in the fourth. Khan has changed how the Steelers do business, and the team is on the precipice of returning to the top of the AFC.
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Steelers' Joey Porter Jr. pulls in his first professional interception.
After a stellar draft performance, Khan put on a master class after the last Steelers preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons. He traded Kevin Dotson and a fifth and sixth-round draft pick for a fourth and fifth-round pick from the Los Angeles Rams on Monday. Tuesday, he pulled off an even more significant coup by convincing the Houston Texans to trade a sixth-round draft pick for Kendrick Green.
The Steelers had to cut down to 53 players on the active roster by 4 p.m. EST on Tuesday. In what appeared to be his first potential misstep since taking the job, Khan ended with two punters still on the roster at 4:01 p.m. EST. On the surface, it looks like Khan, Andy Weidl, and Mike Tomlin had made a mistake. There is no earthly reason to carry two punters, right?
The answer to the question might be yes. Andrew Fillipponi from The PM Team w/Poni & Mueller, also the founder and president of the Kenny Pickett fan club, took to social media on Tuesday night to hint about why the Steelers kept two punters. He posted that Pittsburgh and the Philadelphia Eagles were discussing a trade for one of the two Pittsburgh punters.
Rumor: The Steelers and Eagles working on a trade to send a punter to Philly. And it could be a player for player swap. The Eagles kept 7 cornerbacks. A CB for a punter deal could be in the works. Stay tuned.
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) August 30, 2023
Fillipponi is a polarizing figure and prone to hyperbole. There is no middle ground with the bombastic radio personality. You either are a fan and take his opinions with a grain of salt, or you are not a fan and take his views with the exact same grain of salt. Fillipponi is less abrasive than the infamous Mark Madden and is willing to evolve when he becomes convinced he is wrong.
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Steelers' potential trade targets undrafted Eagles free agent Eli Ricks.
The Eagles have multiple talented cornerbacks, and the bottom three of the seven cornerbacks they kept are Josh Jobe, Mario Goodrich, and rookie Eli Ricks. Jobe is entering his third year as an undrafted free agent cornerback from the University of Alabama's 2020 National Championship team. Goodrich was an undrafted free agent in 2022 from the University of Clemson. Ricks is an undrafted rookie free agent from the University of Alabama.
Ricks is an intriguing prospect at 6 foot 2 inches tall and 190 pounds. In 2020, he was a freshman All-American on the 2020 National Champion LSU Tigers. In 2021, he tore his Labrum and missed half his sophomore season. He transferred to Alabama in 2022 and broke into the starting lineup late in the season. He entered the 2023 NFL Draft as a junior. He ran a 4.60 40-yard dash at the rookie combine and went from a potential mid-round draft pick to going undrafted.
In retrospect, Ricks could have used his senior season to move solidly into the mid-rounds of the 2024 draft. He has elite length and is an explosive leaper. The Eagles liked his ability enough to disregard any concerns about his speed and keep him on the final roster. They contacted Khan and Weidl about the Steelers' two punters, and the dynamic duo identified Ricks as the player they would like in return.
Gene J. Puskar / AP
Steelers rookie cornerback Cory Trice Jr. suffered a season-ending injury early in training camp, which has already tested the team's cornerback depth.
Looking Back, ESPN Predicted The Steelers To Pursue A Cornerback With A Projected Top 10 2023 Draft Pick
The Steelers lost rookie seventh-round draft pick Cory Trice Jr., who also has elite length in training camp, to a non-contact injury to his right leg. Bringing in Ricks as a developmental depth piece in the Pittsburgh secondary makes a lot of sense in case Trice, who fell in 2023 due to injury concerns, has issues returning to the gridiron. In their early mock drafts, ESPN had Kelee Ringo and Ricks linked to the Steelers during the 2022 NCAA season.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Would you be happy to see Ricks end up in black and gold, or would you prefer Jobe or Goodrich? Let me know what you think. Please comment below, or on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq.
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