Category: Omar Khan

Trade Deadline: Grading the Steelers acquisition of OLB Preston Smith

Steelers trade a 2025 7th-round pick for Preston Smith, adding veteran power to their defense. How does this move grade out?

Teams throughout the NFL better watch out; there’s a new terrifying trio of edge rushers coming to sack their quarterback. Steelers’ outside linebackers T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and the newly acquired Preston Smith form arguably the greatest edge-rushing unit in the NFL today.

Smith was recently acquired at the 2024 NFL trade deadline when the Pittsburgh Steelers traded a 2025 seventh-round draft pick to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for his talents in the Steel City.

Pittsburgh General Manager Omar Khan had recently helped facilitate a trade to acquire WR Mike Williams from the New York Jets, which received a solid B grade here at Steelers Wire. But what about the acquisition of Smith?

The 31-year-old former Packers OLB provides quality starting experience behind Watt and Highsmith, as Smith has started 138 games since entering the league in 2015. Smith has accumulated 68.5 sacks over this period and comes to Pittsburgh in what can only be described as a bargain sale in Green Bay.

For only a 2025 seventh-round draft pick given up for Smith, Khan and the Steelers’ front office receive an A+ grade for the trade.

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Trade Deadline: Grading the Steelers acquisition of WR Mike Williams

The Steelers acquired WR Mike Williams before the trade deadline; was the fifth-round pick worth it, or did Pittsburgh overpay for talent?

Pittsburgh fans rejoice!  General Manager Omar Khan has finally pulled the trigger on acquiring a fantastic WR opposite George Pickens when the Steelers traded for New York Jets’ WR Mike Williams.

The Khan artist, as fans often refer to him, had high expectations placed on him as Pittsburgh was hours away from the 4:00 PM EST trade deadline. While Williams is an incredible talent and a welcome addition to the team, did Khan overpay the Jets in this trade?

It was no secret that Pittsburgh needed a WR at the deadline, but it was always public knowledge that Williams was the odd man out in a stacked WR room in New York. With this being said, givHopkins? 2025 fifth-round draft selection, the same price that Kansas City paid for former All-Pro WR DeAndre Hopkins, seems a bit steep for a player who was being used so sparingly in the Aaron Rodgers-led New York offense.

While the Steelers’ front office did potentially create an unstoppable WR unit by acquiring Williams, the compensation package could have been cheaper, resulting in a B grade.

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Steelers GM receives high praise despite Brandon Aiyuk debacle

NFL agents believe that Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan is one of the best in the business.

No one really knows what Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Omar Khan offered the San Francisco 49ers in a Brandon Aiyuk trade package, only that it wasn’t enticing enough.

Despite the appearance that Khan got played by the Niners, NFL agents praised the third-year general manager and the Steelers franchise as a whole in a recent survey published by The Athletic.

“Omar Khan and (Steelers Assistant GM) Andy Weidl are a deadly combo,” one agent said. “They are the best.”

Khan received the third-most votes (tied) when agents were asked which GM they trusted the most. Only New England Patriots Executive Vice President of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf and Chiefs GM Brett Veach receive more votes.

Weidl was brought to Pittsburgh to construct a top-flight offensive line, much like he did for the Philadelphia Eagles.

When asked which franchise they feel is the best-run, Pittsburgh received just two votes (fifth-most). The Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers were one through four.

“What a consistent, traditional franchise,” an agent said. “There’s no bull crap, and they win relatively consistently.”

One of the oldest franchises in the league, the Steelers have been run by the same (Rooney) family since their inception in 1933.

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GM Omar Khan ‘surprised’ that Russell Wilson, Justin Fields are Steelers

GM Omar Khan was surprised by the turn of events that was the Steelers QB depth chart.

Though buzz throughout the early offseason included quarterbacks Russell Wilson or Justin Fields potentially landing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the acquisitions of both were a stunner.

Not as surprised — just “a little” — was Steelers general manager Omar Khan.

“If you would have told me a month ago when we spoke in Indy that we’d be sitting here a month later and that Russell Wilson and Justin Fields would be our quarterbacks, I’d say yeah, I’d be a little bit surprised,” Khan said Monday at the NFL Annual League Meeting, per The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo.

At February’s NFL Scouting Combine, Khan said he had “full faith” in Kenny Pickett and the media destroyed him for it.

Khan has masterfully overhauled Pittsburgh’s quarterback depth chart in less than one month since his statement supporting Pickett.

“Things changed from when we were in Indy to where we are here,” he said. “You know, some things happened, and (I) probably didn’t anticipate the way things would go, but I’m excited about where we are.”

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Steelers GM Omar Khan downplays team’s failing grades in NFLPA report card

The Steelers got failing grades in multiple categories in their 2024 NFLPA report card.

The NFLPA handed out grades for all 32 NFL teams in a variety of categories, and some of the grades for the Pittsburgh Steelers were downright awful. The Steelers got an F-minus for the treatment of facilities, an F for the locker room and an F for ownership.

All of these failing grades point to team President Art Rooney II and ownership refusing to invest in the team and the facilities. Critics of the team say that dated facilities hurt the team’s ability to bring in free agents. General manager Omar Khan denies that claim, however.

“I by no means think our facilities are holding us back from being successful,” Khan said.

All it takes is a simple Google search to see what the team facilities are like for most NFL teams, and there is no denying how dated the Steelers’ are compared to other teams’. The fact the Steelers share facilities with the University of Pittsburgh doesn’t help either.

Will two years of low grades have any impact on the team? Probably not. Free agency is set to start in just a couple of weeks, and it will be interesting to see which teams draw in the most high-profile free agents and whether there is any correlation between the best facilities and the best signings.

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NFL analyst misses the mark big-time in criticism of Steelers GM Omar Khan

Marshall Faulk calls out the wrong Steelers general manager.

Everyone makes mistakes. But when you are a highly paid NFL analyst, you had better get your facts straight before you start talking. Former NFL running back Marshall Faulk went on “The Rich Eisen Show” and in his criticisms of the Pittsburgh Steelers, completely missed the mark about general manager Omar Khan. See if you can spot where it all goes wrong for Faulk.

“I believe Mike Tomlin, the Pittsburgh Steelers, when they lost their GM, that’s the difference in this team,” Faulk stated. “The talent doesn’t look like the Pittsburgh Steelers talent. The Pittsburgh Steelers used to draft the best available talent, not what they needed. If you start drafting what you need you get in trouble. So you gotta take the best available talent.”

If we are being fair. Faulk was half right. The level of talent in the Steelers drafts hasn’t been great over the past half dozen seasons or so. However, those drafts belonged to former general manager Kevin Colbert. Not current general manager Omar Khan. Khan didn’t take over the team until after the 2022 NFL draft.

Khan orchestrated the 2023 NFL draft which yielded multiple high-level rookie starters and could be the best draft the Steelers have had in a decade.

There’s no doubt problematic drafts are a part of what is holding the Steelers back, but that doesn’t fall on Khan.

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