With the Pittsburgh Steelers already in preparation for the offseason, General Manager Omar Khan knows there is a lot of work to be done to prevent another early exit in the playoffs. The collapse that fans had to watch in the last few weeks of the 2024 season was hard iron proof that the wide receiver room that Khan and the coaching staff continued to defend throughout the season, wasn't up to par to NFL standards. When George Pickens was out for his three-game hamstring injury, the passing game struggled. Russell Wilson had only one game with over 200 yards passing with Pickens on the sidelines, which is case and point why Khan's attention needs to be on the receiver position.
Nick Cammett / Diamond Images via Getty Images
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, George Pickens on the sidelines.
The Pat McAfee Show's Steelers correspondent, Mark Kaboly gave his six-step plan that could turn the Steelers back into contenders. In one of his steps, he pointed out that they need add to their receiver room and not subtract from it. With many rumors about Pickens' future in Pittsburgh, he believes that it isn't the best option for the Steelers, unless they have a plan to replace him with a true wide receiver one (WR1).
"To be able to turn this offense into something that can consistently win games, they need to add playmakers and not subtract them," said Kaboly. "I am not suggesting that they won't or shouldn't trade Pickens, but if they do, they better have a legitimate WR1 in town before making any sort of call on the mercurial receiver for the 2025 season. They can't move on from Pickens and then piece mail the receiver room together again. That will be disastrous and has proven not to work."
Kaboly believes that Khan's biggest goal this offseason is to upgrade that position group before the start of the 2025 season. Khan cannot do what he did last year and place all of his eggs in one basket like he did with Brandon Aiyuk. Khan must be on the attack if he wants to add true talent into the receiver room.
"GM Omar Khan needs to upgrade the position significantly," said Kaboly. "If that means trading for Davante Adams, Deebo Samuel, or Tyreek Hill, signing Tee Higgins (extreme long shot), Chris Godwin, Stefon Diggs, or Keenan Allen, or using the 21st overall pick on sure-bet receiver who can elevate the Steelers into contender status quite quickly, it needs to be a high priority. What they can't do is what they did last year - wait and then put all their eggs in a Brandon Aiyuk-like basket just for it not to pan out. To me, adding a legitimate No. 2 receiver to play alongside Pickens isn't necessarily a terrible thing."
The Steelers can't hope to change their late season floundering with a receiver room that has Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin, Mike Williams, and Scotty Miller fighting for the wide receiver two (WR2) position. They need more talent there, especially when an injury takes your number one option away for multiple weeks. If Khan wants to help change the narrative about Pittsburgh, he needs to give them better playmakers than he did last season.
Pittsburgh Steelers / Youtube
Steelers General Manager Omar Khan speaks to the media during the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.
With quality options through the NFL Draft and free agency, Khan has the opportunity to turn the Steelers' weakness to their strength with a few moves. With pending free agents like Tee Higgins, Chris Godwin, and Stefon Diggs who are already better options than the supporting cast around Pickens and players that are unhappy with their current situations that would love to play for Mike Tomlin, Khan has more than enough talented options to bring in. Khan has already proven his worth when it comes to the draft, so using the Steelers' first round pick on a player like Emeka Egbuka who just won a National Championship could come in and instantly prove his worth next to Pickens.
The one thing that seems to always be true is that winning cures everything. With Pickens' antics the last few seasons raising concerns within the fan base and the organization, if the Steelers can turn the corner and start winning in January, who can say that Pickens' issues won't start minimizing?
Nick Cammett / Getty Images
Steelers' George Pickens celebrates with his teammates after a big time team touchdown.
Steelers Need To Make This Offseason Count
Many Steelers fans are tired of the cycle of hitting the playoffs and just watching the team fall flat on their face in the Wild Card Round. Khan has a mission to improve this offense who has been the Achilles heel of this organization for many years. Adding playmakers will bolster the offense to new heights, no matter the quarterback they decide to roll out in Week 1. If Khan decides to go with the same plan like he did last season, fans can expect a similar result and seats start becoming even hotter in the front office.
Do you believe that Khan will bring in better talent to the receiver room? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
#SteelerNation
