Steelers Have 1 Person Who Is Actively Trying To Make The Team Better

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been hit with accusations of being content with mediocrity and not caring about greatness. After some of their early offseason decisions and Jim Rooney's comments, it seems like the fans and pundits alike might be correct in this idea. They are a team that does not like the idea of rocking the boat or making blockbuster decisions. The Steelers might be stuck in this cycle until ownership and/or Head Coach Mike Tomlin finally admit that their way of doing things just doesn't work like it once did.

On a recent episode of Kaboly + Mack, Chris Mack spent a large chunk of the football segment blasting the Steelers for their unwillingness to make the necessary changes to reach that next level. He brought up the only person with true power on the team that's making a conscious effort to make improvements.

"I think it all loops back onto the same thing, the same problem, which is not being proactive enough from ownership on down to the head coach," said Mack. "The most proactivity we've seen has been Omar Khan the last couple offseasons. He goes out and tries to fix the personnel. He does his d**nedest to go out and try to fix it. Art [Rooney II] sits around and lets Mike [Tomlin] do pretty much whatever he wants with the coaching staff, and Mike is slow to do anything about the coaching staff."

While General Manager Omar Khan may not have been successful in all of his endeavors in the 2024 offseason, there is no doubt that he tried to bring in the needed talent without sacrificing the future to make it happen. He has not been perfect in his short tenure as GM, but he has been much more aggressive than the Steelers have been in previous years. 

Usually, the Steelers will let players develop on their roster and hope that they become something special before their rookie deal expires. However, Khan stepped in and switched up the tempo. After Mitch Trubisky failed in relief of Kenny Pickett, he was cut despite signing him to an extension in the previous offseason.

While Pickett did have some upside, it became very obvious that he was not the strong leader that was expected of him. Khan acted quickly and traded him away before he became a problem in the locker room. That part was successful, as the Steelers used the draft compensation they received to select a massive steal at linebacker with elite upside. 

Obviously, it hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows. Khan spent all of the 2024 offseason making attempts to go big game hunting at wide receiver, with Brandon Aiyuk being the primary target. He did well in negotiations by not allowing himself to overpay for his services, even though it meant not getting him. The problem is that he put all of his eggs in one basket. 

Once the Aiyuk deal fell through, the Steelers ran out of viable options at receiver. They had to hope a career backup and a third-round rookie could save the day. Van Jefferson averaged just over a reception per game, and Roman Wilson played five snaps the entire season. Khan's big plans backfired on him hard.

Steelers Should Not Lose Faith In Khan Despite Brutal Mistake

While Khan definitely deserves some level of blame for the Steelers collapsing again, there is still hope with him. He's at least trying to make the team better. After this recent failure, it's safe to expect that the Steelers will have a quality wideout core for 2025.

If Khan does not learn from his mistakes, then it would be fair to question him like everyone does with Rooney and Tomlin. However, he is still relatively new to building a team. He's not afraid to make the hard choices. There are plenty of reasons to believe he can build a team that can compete for the Super Bowl.

What do you think about Khan being proactive in fixing the team? Let us know in the comments.

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