The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered an ugly loss on Sunday, one that is certainly in consideration to be their worst performance of the season. After taking a 3-0 lead early, the Steelers gave up 25 straight points and didn’t score again until a garbage-time touchdown from Roman Wilson in the fourth quarter.
After such a loss, there’s plenty of blame to go around. And go around it has. From Aaron Rodgers to Mike Tomlin, plenty are catching heat for the Steelers’ third loss in four games. But ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has somebody else in mind. He’s not a fan of Omar Khan, whom he thinks missed an opportunity last week to upgrade the Steelers’ roster.
“When are we gonna talk about Steelers’ management? How come you didn’t do anything before the trade deadline. You got to get the brother [Rodgers] some help. DK Metcalf is your number one option, people keying in on him. He’s average[d] 36 yards over the last four games,” Smith said Monday on First Take. “I’m looking at it, and I’m saying, ‘Damn, this GM Khan, we don’t talk about him enough. You could have got somebody to come to Pittsburgh.'”
Receivers were certainly on the market. Jakobi Meyers went to Jacksonville, Rashid Shaheed went to Seattle, and although Chris Olave stayed put, there were receivers worth trading for. But at the end of the day, the Steelers’ only offensive addition was Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who’s on the practice squad.
Gerry Dulac reported that the Steelers expected to land a receiver, but things fell through before last Tuesday’s deadline. It’s fair to assume that would have been Meyers, as Mark Kaboly has reported the Steelers had the offered the same compensation as Jacksonville, fourth- and sixth-round selections in 2026. But according to Kaboly, Meyers chose the Jaguars instead.
It takes two sides to agree to a deal. And if Meyers chose the Jaguars over the Steelers, there’s not a lot Khan can do other than simply upping his offer. But after a frenzy of offseason moves, Smith is wondering where Khan’s aggressiveness has gone.
“As the season progressed, and you saw what was transpiring,” Smith said, “Khan, and the Steelers, what did you do? What did you do? Nothing. What exactly are you doing if you make no moves as a GM? You made trades all summertime. You did that, you ain’t really did nothing since August, since July.”
Even back in the offseason, Smith questioned Khan. But he’s not wrong that it was an eventful offseason. The Steelers traded for a new WR1, they brought in some offensive depth at other positions and made some major moves defensively.
It’s normal for general managers to be less active during the season. But there is something to be said when comparing the Steelers’ level of aggressiveness before the season, and now. We know Khan is going to be guarded with his draft capital, but he wasn’t scared to make bold additions in the offseason. That’s not to say he’s scared now, but it’s been back-to-back trade deadlines in which he hasn’t made a notable addition at receiver.
Whether or not you think Omar Khan should have traded for a receiver at all is up to you. And there are good reasons both for and against that idea. But if you believe they should have, the Steelers’ Sunday night loss may give you some vindication.
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