Steelers' Omar Khan Was Direct On Why The Steelers Released Mitch Trubisky And Others So Early

The Pittsburgh Steelers roster is a work in progress. They have superstars on defense with TJ Watt, Cam Heyward, and Minkah Fitzpatrick. The offense has budding stars like George Pickens and Jaylen Warren. All that and more is paired with a general manager in Omar Khan, who delivered the Steelers' best draft class in years in 2023. The roster is the most solid it has been since Mike Tomlin delivered an 18-16 playoff victory against the Kansas City Chiefs seven long years ago. 

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Steelers fans should be optimistic about the team's current state, but there is still work to do. Kevin Colbert left gaping holes in the roster that still need to be filled. Pittsburgh didn't dig this hole overnight, and it will take more than one excellent draft class to get out. Khan has to sort out a full-blown quarterback controversy that will arrive the moment he adds someone to the roster besides Kenny Pickett. He also had to make some tough decisions about the current roster and decided to part ways with four players who just couldn't play up to Tomlin's "standard."

On Thursday, Khan arrived in Indianapolis for the NFL Combine and addressed the media on various topics. He handled the endless quarterback speculation and the future of his 2023 first-round pick, Broderick Jones. Khan then turned his attention to the roster moves he made earlier in February. He addressed the release of Mason Cole, Mitch Trubisky, Chukwuma Okorafor, and Pressley Harvin III. 

"I would say with Pressley and Mitch, Mason and Chuks, once we made the decision that they weren't going to be part of the 2024 roster, it felt like the right thing to do to give those guys the opportunity to hit the free agency market," Khan said. "Every one of those guys is a stand up guy. It was a great experience to have those guys around. We felt like the right thing to do was give them an opportunity to explore other options sooner rather than later." 

The release of those players was not unexpected, but Khan went out of his way to put in a good word for all four of them. The Steelers are still reeling from the NFL Players Association survey that ranked them near the bottom of the league in many categories. Khan's efforts to praise his former players could be both genuine and viewed as effective damage control for an organization looking to rebuild goodwill with the players they employ. 

The NFL is a business; public relations aside, Khan's cuts were precise. Trubisky demonstrated that he was no longer a starting-caliber quarterback and, at least in Pittsburgh, was not a reliable backup quarterback. Harvin was statistically one of the worst punters in the NFL over the last three seasons, and Okorafor fell out of favor with Tomlin after the Jacksonville Jaguars game, and lost his starting position. Cole had issues snapping the ball to whoever was playing quarterback, but offset that by being equally bad at run blocking and pass protection. 

Khan and Assistant General Manager Andy Weidl will be hard at work evaluating talent to fill the holes left behind by cutting the four players who filled vital positions for the 2023 Steelers. The dynamic duo will look to improve their performance in free agency in 2024 to augment the NFL Draft and strengthen the roster. They have made significant progress over two seasons together, but if the Steelers are going to start winning playoff games again, there is more work to do. 

What do you think, Steeler Nation? Did Khan identify and remove all the dead weight from the roster? Please comment below or on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq. 

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