Severe Disconnect Between Mike Tomlin And The Steelers' Front Office Has Been Plaguing The Organization

The Pittsburgh Steelers are considered one of the most well-run organizations in all of sports. The reason for this is the history of success, as well as the amount of consistency the franchise has had. The consistency is something the fan base often takes issue with. The team consistently has winning seasons, but hasn't had anything to show for it since winning Super Bowl XLIII at the end of the 2008 season. Due to the consistent winning in the regular season, Pittsburgh hasn't been able to go through a true rebuild while being coached by Mike Tomlin, which some believe is what the organization needs.

Tomlin has fallen under a ton of scrutiny after the Steelers lost their sixth consecutive playoff game. The team hasn't had any playoff success in eight full seasons, which is absolutely despicable when you consider the standard of the organization. The Steelers were certainly trying to win in 2024. General Manager Omar Khan was involved in a ton of trade conversations and wound up acquiring Mike Williams and Preston Smith at the trade deadline. The usage of those two players was often in question, and reporter Brian Batko believes there may be a disconnect between Tomlin and the front office.

"The Mike Williams situation is one of those where it feels like the front office and coaching staff were not on the same page," Batko wrote.

The Steelers acquired Williams on the day of the trade deadline from the New York Jets. He didn't play much to begin with, but he did catch the game-winning touchdown against the Washington Commanders, which happened to be his first game with Pittsburgh. Fans assumed he would slowly get worked into the starting lineup, but that change never actually happened.

The Steelers sent a fifth-round pick to the Jets in exchange for Williams, which was even considered an overpay at the time. The organization would have been better off not making the deal as the receiver was barely given the opportunity to make an impact. Either Tomlin or Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith didn't feel the need to involve Williams a ton, although he was a clear upgrade at wide receiver behind George Pickens. Batko spoke more about Williams' lack of opportunity.

"So my sense is Omar Khan wanted to upgrade the receiver position, but Tomlin and/or Arthur Smith were perfectly fine with Van Jefferson as the No. 2 guy behind George Pickens. Jefferson’s playing time never really dipped in a consistently significant way even after the acquisition of Williams."

Williams' lack of playing time would suggest that the offensive coaching staff did not believe the wide receivers behind Pickens needed to be upgraded at all, although any casual viewer of a Steelers game could tell Van Jefferson was not getting the job done well enough. Williams never played more than half of the offensive snaps during a game with the Steelers, although he was clearly better than Jefferson.

Steelers Showcased More Disconnect With The Usage Of Preston Smith

The veteran outside linebacker was added by the Steelers on the day of the trade deadline. The organization gave the Green Bay Packers a seventh round pick to gain the additional depth on defense. It was obvious that Smith would be a depth piece behind TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith, but the fan base certainly expected to see more out of the veteran.

He recorded two sacks with the Steelers and was fairly effective while he was on the field, however he was still ruled inactive for two games. It is not a great look to trade for a player, and then decide to rule that player out, although he is perfectly healthy. Smith is still under contract, but will likely be released during the 2025 offseason.

Do you think there is a disconnect between Tomlin and the front office? Let us know in the comments below!

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