Ex-NFL scout: Steelers front office ‘red-flagged’ by many

Omar Khan is heading into his third season as general manager of the Pittsburgh Steelers and his 24th year with the team overall.

Khan has a 19-15 record with one playoff appearance (a 31-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills during Super Wild Card Weekend just a few weeks ago) to show for his efforts, and the Steelers are entering a crucial offseason in which they’ve hired a new offensive coordinator and are still trying to sort out their quarterback situation.

While many, including former QB Ben Roethlisberger, have stated the Steelers don’t have the same aura about them, former NFL scout John Middlekauf suggested during a recent appearance on “The Colin Cowherd Podcast” that it may be the front office and not necessarily the players or coaches that are the reason why.

“A lot of people in the NFL kind of have them a little ‘red-flagged’ operationally, I would say,” Middlekauf said. “Not necessarily Tomlin — the new GM, the new thoughts from the front office. [Khan] is more of an analytical guy, he’d come over originally from the contract side. (Former GM) Kevin Colbert more of an old-school, Rooney-type scout.”

Back in mid-December, Roethlisberger pointed out on his “Footbahlin’ with Ben Roethlisberger” podcast that the “Steeler Way” didn’t exist anymore, stating it felt like the team’s rich tradition was gone and the players on the current roster weren’t team-first like many of the guys Roethlisberger played with.

Roethlisberger’s assessment seems to fall in line with Middlekauf’s point that the transition from Colbert to Khan hasn’t been seamless given the different backgrounds and approaches to roster building between the two. 

“I do think this transition and their new front office, I don’t think they’re quite viewed like the same powerhouse,” Middlekauf said. “Like the Ravens transition from Ozzie [Newsome to Eric DeCosta]…the Ravens didn’t skip a beat. I think the Steelers, they’ve got a lot going on when it comes to the transition in front office, which is natural. Most teams don’t just go smooth from GM to GM. I just think they’re an organization to keep an eye on.”