Tag: Omar Khan

Former Steelers QB tells us what we already knew about HC Mike Tomlin

Mike Tomlin has far more control over this team than many realize.

If an NFL team is going to be consistently successful, it takes a team effort. Whether it is the players, coaches or front office, everyone has a job to do and that job is vital. Unless of course you are the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is according to former Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger.

Roethlisberger noted on his podcast that there is a power imbalance with head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan with Tomlin holding the final say in roster decisions. Perhaps beyond what is typically the case with other teams.

“I know Omar Khan is the general manager,” Roethlisberger said. “Mike Tomlin makes decisions… Mike Tomlin has decisions and makes most of the decisions in Pittsburgh. He can say he doesn’t and this, that, and the other – we all know that he’s got a lot of pull. He’s been here for 18 years. You wouldn’t be here that long if you didn’t have pull and say.”

We already knew that Tomlin did this with his coaches and now it appears it extends to the front office as well. Tomlin has obviously kept his coordinators under his thumb, hence no real changes during his tenure but the idea he’s not working with Khan and Andy Weidl as a team could explain the struggles to build this roster.

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Steelers may have found their next franchise WR in 2025 Senior Bowl

Jack Bech made a strong case for the Pittsburgh Steelers after his standout performance in the 2025 Senior Bowl.

One of the biggest question marks heading into the 2025 offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers is how to fix their wide receiver woes. The team failed to find production from their wide receivers not named George Pickens—and his future with the Steelers remains uncertain as trade speculation swirls.

With that in mind, the team will either need to hit a home run in the 2025 NFL Draft or sign a big-name free agent in the coming months—and the Steelers may have just found a solution tied to the former.

WR Jack Bech out of TCU was considered one of the better Day 2 or Day 3 receivers in this year’s draft class, and his performance in the 2025 Senior Bowl should have Steelers scouts foaming at the mouth.

Bech finished the day with six catches for 68 yards and a game-winning touchdown, ultimately being named the 2025 Senior Bowl MVP.

If the TCU receiver is available when the Steelers make their second-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, GM Omar Khan and HC Mike Tomlin will have the easiest decision in the world—bring Bech to the Steel City.

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Steelers should trade George Pickens for Jets star Garrett Wilson

If the Jets decide to move on from Garrett Wilson, the Steelers should trade George Pickens for him while they still have leverage.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are no strangers to trade rumors and disappointment—thanks to the speculation surrounding Brandon Aiyuk, Davante Adams, Cooper Kupp, D.K. Metcalf, and just about any big-name receiver during the 2024 season. However, GM Omar Khan has a real shot at landing New York Jets superstar WR Garrett Wilson—and he should give them an offer they can’t refuse.

Wilson has been involved in trade rumors galore as of late, and if the Jets do decide to part ways with their best receiver in hopes of rebuilding their roster, the Steelers should send George Pickens and potentially a Day 3 draft selection as compensation.

Contrary to what many Pickens supporters may argue, Wilson is a better receiver—and carries far less baggage. Getting the Jets to agree to a trade may be more difficult than talking Pickens into an extension, but the Steelers need to trade him before he hurts his value any further.

Pickens’ 2024 season showed the Pittsburgh Steelers all they needed to see, and the team would be wise to utilize his trade value to strike while the iron is hot regarding Wilson.

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Reese’s Senior Bowl: Steelers staff keeping a close eye on defensive line prospects

Pittsburgh needs help along the defensive line and the Senior Bowl is loaded with prospects.

According to multiple reports, the Pittsburgh Steelers are in full attendance at this week’s Reese’s Senior Bowl practices. Head coach Mike Tomlin, General Manager Omar Khan and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin have been spotted keeping a close eye on the defensive line prospects at practice this week.

Here are the interior defensive linemen at the Senior Bowl.

American Roster

Deone Walker – Kentucky

Walter Nolen – Ole Miss

Tim Smith – Alabama

Omar Norman-Lott – Tennessee

T.J. Sanders – South Carolina

Tyrion Ingram-Dawson – Georgia

Cam’Ron Jackson – Florida

 

National Roster

Joshua Farmer – Florida State

Darius Alexander – Toledo

Aeneas Pebbles – Virginia Tech

Junior Tafuna – Utah

Yahya Black – Iowa

Jamaree Caldwell – Oregon

 

These linemen come in all shapes and sizes. Pittsburgh typically likes those guys who have more length and can line up inside or outside but at this point, they must address the lack of physicality along the defensive line with a guy who is powerful at the point of attack and play with a low center of gravity.

We like several of these guys including Norman-Lott and Caldwell stand out as value players who can fill that nose tackle role for the Steelers.

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Steelers receive bad news ahead of 2025 NFL Draft

The Pittsburgh Steelers won’t have any compensatory picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, limiting their chances to add another hidden gem.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have proven themselves adept at selecting elite talent with compensatory picks in the NFL Draft—and it has now been confirmed that they will receive none of these selections.

Some of the biggest home-run hits from the compensatory picks made by the Pittsburgh Steelers include legends like Hines Ward, elite playmakers like RB James Conner and OLB Alex Highsmith, and rising stars like WR Calvin Austin III. It is nothing short of bad news that the Steel City will have no opportunity to add to this list in 2025.

While the compensatory pick system is complicated, it can typically be summed up by determining whether a team lost more free agents than they signed in an offseason—which the Pittsburgh Steelers did not in 2024.

While Pittsburgh’s 2024 NFL Draft class proved that GM Omar Khan and the Steelers’ front office are more than capable of finding elite talent throughout all seven rounds, it is troubling that the team will be without any compensatory picks heading into the 2025 NFL Draft.

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Steelers must stop ignoring most glaring need in 2025 NFL draft

Like many teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers have multiple needs to address as they head into 2025 free agency and the NFL draft.

Like many teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers have multiple needs to address as they head into 2025 free agency and the NFL draft. But given the number of yards the defense gave up in 2024, especially as the season progressed, one area stands out more than others:

Defensive line, defensive line, defensive line.

The defense as a whole is the oldest in the league, with a snap-weighted average age of 28.4. Four of their current six linemen will be 30 or older next year: Cam Heyward, Larry Ogunjobi, Montravius Adams and Dean Lowry. And Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac believes three of those guys could be gone. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out who in that group is staying.

The Steelers must continue constructing the defensive line of the future. Keeanu Benton, taken at No. 49 overall in the 2023 draft, is a star in the making and a good start. Beyond him (and cornerback Joey Porter Jr.), the Steelers have focused primarily on offense with their top picks.

“The DLine has been their biggest need the past two years,” Dulac wrote. “If you want to know how Derrick Henry goes off for 162 and 186 in a matter of three weeks, look no further.”

And Henry, 31, shows no signs of slowing down. He’s not going away anytime soon.

The challenge for the Steelers will be intense next season, with matchups against four of the NFL’s top 10 rushing teams in the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts.

With this tall task ahead and defenders not getting any younger, a case could be made for Pittsburgh to use at least two of its top three picks to rebuild the defensive line. Talented rookies could give the unit a shot of youth, energy and run-stuffing capability.

The Steelers’ second-most pressing need is in the secondary, but veteran free agents might better address that.

What positions do you think Pittsburgh should focus on to start the NFL draft? Let us know in the comments below.

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Steelers sign former Dolphins QB to kickoff the 2025 offseason

Steelers make an early move to build up their roster with Skylar Thompson’s signing, setting the stage for the 2025 QB room.

It appears Pittsburgh Steelers GM Omar Khan wasn’t satisfied with waiting until the 2025 offseason to start building next season’s Black and Gold roster.

On Tuesday, the Steelers signed former Dolphins QB Skylar Thompson to a futures contract.

Thompson, a seventh-round pick in the 2022 draft, has thrown for 721 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions on 138 passing attempts. He has appeared in ten games, including three starts for the Miami Dolphins.

While the move isn’t likely to shake up the Pittsburgh Steelers’ QB room, the signing is a welcome one, as QBs Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and Kyle Allen are all set to hit free agency in 2025.

Wilson had alluded to remaining with the Steelers in 2025, claiming, “That’s the plan,” when asked by reporters. If this holds true, Wilson and Thompson will begin to shape the next Steelers QB room, with one or two additional signings likely to occur during the offseason.

Steelers fans can eagerly anticipate GM Omar Khan and the Steelers front office reloading the roster through free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft, with this move serving as the catalyst for the potential rebuild.

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Steelers front office drawing no interest from rest of the NFL

No teams have requested interviews with Omar Khan or Andy Weidl so far this offseason.

Multiple NFL franchises have moved on from their general managers already this offseason with more on the way. When it come to the success of any NFL team, it starts at the top with roster building, contracts and the NFL draft.

The primary members of the Pittsburgh Steelers front office are general manager Omar Khan and assistant general manager Andy Weidl. Khan is the  man with the plan when it comes to contracts and Weidl is the draft guru who brings in the young talent.

We assumed with all the attention being paid for finding GM replacements around the league, Khan and/or Weidl would be on team’s interview lists. But so far teams have avoided the both of them for requests.

Is this an indictment of how the rest of the league views the Steelers front office or should we just be happy Weidl and Khan are flying under the radar and aren’t going anywhere?

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Steelers LB Elandon Roberts shares where he hopes to play in 2025

Steelers LB Elandon Roberts made it clear he hopes to remain in Pittsburgh after the team’s Wild-Card loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

There is no better feeling than donning the legendary Black and Gold of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and even in defeat, LB Elandon Roberts understands this all too well.

Roberts is set to be one of many Steelers free agents in 2025. Following the team’s Wild-Card loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the linebacker made it perfectly clear where he wants to play next season: the Steel City of Pittsburgh.

Steelers reporter Nick Farabaugh broke the news on social media, stating that Roberts expressed his desire to remain with the Steelers next year.

Roberts was by far one of the best Steelers defenders against the run in 2024, and Steelers General Manager Omar Khan should consider giving him a blank check heading into 2025.

If Roberts returns to the Pittsburgh Steelers, it will allow the Black and Gold to address one less positional group heading into free agency and the draft this offseason.  Roberts, along with LBs Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson, would continue to solidify one of the stronger linebacker rooms in the entire NFL.

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Steelers receive great news as Justin Fields trade conditions finalize

The Steelers’ trade for Justin Fields has officially finalized, costing Pittsburgh only a 2025 sixth-round pick in a massive steal.

Steelers fans rejoice! Omar Khan—AKA ‘the Khan Artist’—has officially outsmarted the Chicago Bears for the second time in just over two years.

While the outcome of the Chase Claypool trade was clearly one-sided in Pittsburgh’s favor, the winner of 2024’s Justin Fields trade seemed debatable.

However, as the trade became official last night, the Steelers will only need to send a 2025 sixth-round draft pick to the Bears. Fields would have needed to play in 51% of the Steelers’ snaps for the conditional sixth-round pick to escalate to a fourth-rounder—and Russell Wilson’s emergence as the Steelers’ QB in Week 7 put an end to that.

While it remains to be seen if the Steelers will re-sign Fields this upcoming 2025 offseason—and properly develop him—no one can deny that acquiring a player of his caliber for just a sixth-round draft pick is an absolute steal.

Khan has been incredible since taking over the GM role in 2022, and fans of the Black and Gold should be excited about what he has in store for 2025 offseason and NFL Draft.

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