It has been two full seasons since Omar Khan replaced Kevin Colbert as Steelers general manager. That’s an ample sample size to make a determination on what kind of job the Steelers new GM is doing. Omar Khan has made several moves since taking over, with mixed results. He certainly has not been shy about putting his stamp on the team. In this post we will be grading Omar Khan on his drafts, free agency, and trades:
Free Agency – D
Omar Khan’s grade in this category really suffers due to his moves at wide receiver. The players he’s signed at this position are horrendous. There’s really no way to sugar coat it. Names like Allen Robinson, Van Jefferson, and Scotty Miller are the highlights of a truly awful group. This deficiency really hit home in 2024. The lack of weapons at wide receiver were a clear weakness that held the offense back. Steelers wide receiver room: The worst in the Mike Tomlin era
Aside for receiver, Khan’s signings have been spotty overall. Among his first free agent class, only four out of ten remain on the roster. One of those in Cole Holcomb has barely played due to injury. Some big misses in this group include Patrick Peterson, and Keanu Neal. Both those players were out of the league the following season. Khan did have a couple of mild successes in the 2023 offseason. Isaac Seumalo has been steady, if not unimpressive in his two years with the team. The same can be said for Larry Ogunjobi although his fall off in 2024 was significant. Elandon Roberts was the biggest hit by far in that free agent class. He is exactky as advertised, being a plus run defender.
The 2024 free agent class was highlighted by the Russell Wilson signing. At the time it seemed like a no-brainer given Wilson cost the Steelers nothing in terms of salary. We quickly learned why the Broncos were so eager to get him off the roster however. Wilson lost the athleticism that allowed him to get out of the pocket and make big plays down field. He’s basically now a 36 year old undersized pocket passer, which was never his strength to begin with.
The other big move was to spend a record amount for the Steelers on an inside linebacker. Patrick Queen struggled at times this season, and never really looked comfortable. He should be fine in year two, but one has to wonder if this was the best place to allocate funds last off-season. Ironically Khan’s best signing of 2024 went largely unnoticed. Deshon Elliot had a tremendous season, and stands as Omar Khan’s best free agent signing by far.
Overall Omar Khan’s ventures in to free agency have not gone well. We barely give him a passing grade because of the few hits he’s managed. With upwards of sixty million to spend this offseason, he will have to do a much better job in free agency.
The draft: C+
Admittedly, it is a tad too early to be grading Omar Khan on his drafts. The evidence so far is not very good however. Let’s start with Omar Khan’s very first draft choice. Khan traded up for Broderick Jones despite the warnings of him being a very raw prospect. With only 20 starts under his belt, there were concerns that at the very least Jones would need to be coached up in order to be successful at the next level. Two years later Jones has just 129 snaps at left tackle, and his snaps at right tackle have been below average at best.
There is an argument that maybe Mike Tomlin’s usage of Jones out of position are a big cause of why it has gone so badly. There is also an argument that Broderick Jones is not goo enough to beat out the very mediocre Dan Moore, which is a real problem. This draft pick could go down as one of the worst in Steelers history right up there with the Kenny Pickett, Jarvis Jones, Devin Bush selections
The rest of the 2023 draft is a mixed bag. Joey Porter Jr. took a step back last season. What once looked like a legitimate shut down corner, is now a penalty machine. Keaeanu Benton may be the best draft pick of Khan’s career so far. He’s a legit force along the defensive line. Nick Herbig has flashed as a big time pass rusher. If he ever becomes an every day force at outside linebacker, that would go a long way in making this draft a success.
It is in fact way too early to judge the 2024 draft. The concern with this class is all the injury red flags with this group. Four of the seven players drafted missed the entire season on the IR. That does not even include the biggest injury concern of them all in Payton Wilson. Wilson was a first round talent who lasted to the back half of the third round because of concerns over his knees. Another player who fell due to injury concerns was first round pick Troy Fautanu. He was thought to be a lock top 15 pick, but fell to the Steelers because of his injury potential. Not surprisingly, he missed the entire season with a knee injury. Here’s a link to the conversation we had with Tony Pauline about this very subject https://youtu.be/WeHEUu_DBQk
If things fall into place, there is a world where these two drafts could set the Steelers up for success for years to come. Too much would have to go right, and honestly the Steelers would have to be extremely lucky for that to happen. It’s equally, if not more likely these two draft classes end up being a disaster.
Trades: C
By far the best move in Omar Khan’s short career was the Chase Claypool trade to Chicago for an early second round pick. That move was a fleecing of the highest level. If we were to stop here, Khan would get an A+. Unfortunately there’s more to the story.
The trade of Diontae Johnson to the Panthers for Dante Jackson looks great given the meltdown Johnson had this past season. DJ managed to get himself traded three times in 2024. The problem with this deal is it left the Steelers without any depth at wide receiver whatsoever. Khan gets points taken away by being unable to close the deal for Brandon Aiyuk, which we assume was the only plan to replace Johnson. As far as Dante Jackson goes he was a serviceable corner, but not neatly impactful enough to leave the team so short at wide reciever.
The other semi-big trade in Omar Khan’s career was the Justin Fields acquisition. Much like the Russell Wilson signing, the asking price was so low this became a no-brainer. Either because there were no other suitors, or Fields forced his way to Pittsburgh, the compensation made it an easy decision. Fields started 4-2, and this trade looked like a home run. Unfortunately he did not start another game all season, and in all likelihood he will be one and done in Pittsburgh unless Khan can somehow resign him.
Khan’s trades have been ok overall. Factoring in the trade up for Broderick Jones as a negative, a C seems pretty fair in this category.
Summary: Overall grade C-
Omar Khan has his share of fans who will be shocked, and upset with this grade. The facts do not lie however. Most of the top players on this team are still Kevin Colbert products. Khan has not been able to upgrade this roster significantly since taking over. The overall body of work in his two years in charge has been largely underwhelming. The quarterback position remains unsolved, and the playoff drought continues.
People forget Omar Khan was a salary cap specialist with no prior scouting background, or management experience whatsoever. Khan went on several general manger interviews with other clubs, and was rejected because of these deficiencies. This is not to say he can not figure it out over time. Omar Khan is certainly an intelligent man who’s been around the game long enough. Time will tell if the Omar Khan hiring was a mistake for this franchise. The 2025 offseason will be a huge one for his future with the Pittsburgh Steelers.