How Omar Khan prepared the Steelers for the 2023 season

With the NFL preseason officially over and cutdowns having occurred to whittle rosters down to 53 players, the 2023 regular season gets underway officially on September 7th.

The official kickoff game for this year will be between the Detroit Lions and the defending Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs, with the Pittsburgh Steelers and others following suit days later. While the anticipation is off the charts for this year’s kickoff, the excitement can be attributed to one individual who has asserted his vision for the team: Steelers General Manager Omar Khan.

Khan took over for previous GM Kevin Colbert last summer, but after the “GM season” was completed – that is, the free agency and NFL Draft periods. In essence, this year’s offseason was Khan’s first “on the job”.

And what a job he did with what he had to work with. Let’s have a look at how the new general manager shaped this year’s team.

Steelers Looking to Improve

First, let’s begin with last season. The 2022 NFL campaign saw the Steelers finish in third place in the AFC North. Their regular season record of 9-8 wasn’t enough to secure a place in the postseason as the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens progressed to the playoffs out of the division.

The team and its fanbase expect improvement, but the view from independent sources isn’t encouraging. Early NFL betting markets show defending champions the Kansas City Chiefs as favorites to win the Super Bowl in early 2024, although things are changing.

But where are the Pittsburgh Steelers? The markets show the Steelers down amongst the underdogs with at least 20 franchises ahead of them, including favorites such as the Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers and division rival Cincinnati.

With a promising preseason behind them, a fast start to the 2023 campaign would mean those nfl week 1 odds will start to shorten as the season progresses. The question is, have the Steelers prepped to an extent that they can improve on results from 2022?

I believe the answer is yes.

Offseason Moves

There was a clear directive in Pittsburgh and it was to improve in every area possible. A carryover from the Colbert era was to sign a veteran player while adding a rookie simultaneously for any positions of need.

The Steelers did this in several areas.

Khan addressed the cornerback position by signing future Hall of Famer Patrick Peterson, then standing firm with pick 32 in the draft to select Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr. The double-up also occurred at guard, where former Eagles Isaac Seumalo and Nate Herbig were added, with Seumalo considered the top free agent at his position.

However, that was not the case for the defensive tackle, outside linebacker, and tight end spots. Defensive tackles Armon Watts and Breiden Fehoko were signed in the offseason and paired with rookie second round pick Keeanu Benton. Zach Gentry was re-signed and competed with rookie Darnell Washington at tight end, while veteran Markus Golden was brought in as the team drafted Wisconsin edge rusher Nick Herbig as his match.

An offseason contract extension for outside linebacker Alex Highsmith was also significant.

Happy with Progress

Omar Khan certainly seems happy about the team’s prospects. Speaking to Pittsburgh’s official website, he stated that he sat down with the coaching staff and set out a “clear vision” of how they wanted the roster to look for 2023.

Khan wanted competition in every position within the roster, and he feels that this has been achieved.

While Broderick Jones was the team’s first round pick at fourteenth overall, the team didn’t add another tackle, showing confidence in the two-time national champion from Georgia along with veteran Dan Moore Jr. to duke it out in camp.

Khan also traded for wide receiver Allen Robinson II who will operate out of the slot alongside second-year receiver Calvin Austin, and added veteran safety Keanu Neal, who is listed as a co-starter with Damontae Kazee to replace former starter Terrell Edmunds.

The Verdict

This may be the deepest roster that the Pittsburgh Steelers have field in years. With Kenny Pickett under a rookie contract at the most expensive position in football, the team was able to focus on shrewd spending in other areas to both add to the team and also retain key components such as Highsmith, as well as WR Diontae Johnson last season.

After failing to make it beyond the regular season by tiebreakers in 2022, the minimum target for head coach Mike Tomlin and his team is to get into the playoffs.

The big issue for Pittsburgh is the competition: they have the misfortune of playing in one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL, with both the Ravens and the Bengals among the favorites to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy. (Editor’s note: critics words, not mine!)

While most fans would be happy to be back in the postseason, the biggest knock on Tomlin is the lack of a playoff win over the last several years. If Pickett proves to be as capable as he’s shown from late last season through this year’s exhibition games, that chip may no longer be on the long-time head coach’s shoulder.

And perhaps the Steelers can return to Super Bowl glory in the immediate future… all thanks to the vision of Omar Khan.