For over 20 years, Kevin Colbert provided stability in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ front office. While he wasn’t named general manager until 2010, he had held that de facto role since 2000 and had a huge hand in building their championship teams. Therefore, Omar Khan had big shoes to fill when he took over for Colbert in 2022. Colin Cowherd believes Khan hasn’t lived up to Colbert’s standard, blaming him for some of the Steelers’ problems.
“It’s almost as if I can’t quite figure the Steelers out,” Cowherd said recently on his podcast. “They want character, but nobody’s had more divas and high-maintenance offensive guys than the Steelers. They want to win, but then they don’t take care of the number one position. I feel like there’s a messaging issue in the building. And Omar Khan, my sources don’t consider him a great general manager.”
The Steelers do have a history with diva wide receivers. That’s a fair criticism. However, Colbert was in charge when the Steelers drafted Antonio Brown, Diontae Johnson, and George Pickens.
Khan has been more responsible for getting problematic receivers out of Pittsburgh. The Steelers recently traded Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys. Last year, they sent Johnson to the Carolina Panthers. Khan also traded Chase Claypool for a second-round pick, which was a genius move.
Also, the Steelers’ quarterback issues aren’t really on Khan, either. Colbert was still the team’s general manager when they selected Kenny Pickett in 2022. Khan got the gig after that draft ended. He inherited Pickett, which left Pittsburgh out of the quarterback market for Khan’s first draft as general manager in 2023.
That draft class doesn’t look too bad, either. While Broderick Jones hasn’t found his footing yet, Khan landed several other solid contributors. Joey Porter Jr., Keeanu Benton, Nick Herbig, and Darnell Washington are all important parts of the Steelers.
They also added Cory Trice Jr. and Spencer Anderson, two solid depth pieces, in that draft. Khan’s 2024 draft class looks promising, too. Zach Frazier, Troy Fautanu, and Mason McCormick seem poised to be starters along the offensive line going forward. Payton Wilson flashed a lot of potential last year, too.
Has Khan been perfect? No, but he hasn’t been a bad general manager, either. He’s executed some decent trades, added some quality free agents, and drafted good NFL players. The Steelers have issues, but Khan isn’t the reason for them.
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