Omar Khan’s Patience Is Prudent
Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire via USA TODAY Sports
The AFC North looks to be the toughest division in football, a gauntlet that includes star quarterbacks in Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, and Deshaun Watson. A lot of teams would make desperate trades and overpay for free agents in an attempt to compete. Not the Pittsburgh Steelers. While the Steelers absolutely believe they can compete for a division title, they have built the 2023 roster with an eye toward the future.
Rebuilding a roster with a “win-now” fanbase can be tricky. Doing it without a surefire franchise quarterback can be downright scary. Somehow, the Steelers have managed to do that for the upcoming season. General manager Omar Khan has put together a future-centric roster that nevertheless should compete in 2023 – no small feat.
The biggest necessary assumption is that Kenny Pickett is going to be counted on to take a big step forward in Year 2. While he showed promise in the final eight games of the season, his first six were disastrous. Now that he has more familiarity with the playbook and his skill-position players, Dionte Johnson in particular, the would-be hometown hero has the opportunity to put a stranglehold on the position for the foreseeable future.
Pickett is by far the least-accomplished quarterback in the division. That usually spells doom for any organization with hopes of competing to win the division. However, if Pickett fails, all is not lost. Rookie contracts aren’t what they used to be, especially for the 20th pick of the draft. Thanks to that coveted fifth-year option due for consideration next offseason, the Steelers have an out if Pickett doesn’t pan out.
But the roster was shaped to help Pickett succeed, starting with the rebuilt offensive line. Isaac Seumalo was graded out by Pro Football Focus (PFF) as the 10th-best guard in the league last season. He was part of what was arguably the best offensive line in football with the Philadelphia Eagles. James Daniels was signed the previous season and was the best Steelers lineman in 2022, according to Pro Football Focus. Then the Steelers moved up three spots to snag Broderick Jones with the 14th-overall pick. By all early accounts, he will take over at left tackle. These upgrades should help the offense run a lot smoother.
The defense, which gave up a ton of big plays last season, also saw its share of updates. Future Hall Of Famer Patrick Peterson was brought in to be a versatile leader and mentor. Even at the age of 32, he is an upgrade over the Stelers’ secondary in 2023.
Second-round draft selection Joey Porter Jr. will be the physical presence at the cornerback the Steelers have lacked for years. Recent draftee Keenu Benton is the big, tough interior lineman Pittsburgh sorely needed. The Steelers’ 2023 draft was wildly successful, or so it seems thus far. They needed to get younger in certain spots, and when you combine the youth with perennial All-Pros TJ Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Cameron Heyward, the defense looks like a top-10 unit once again.
The Pittsburgh Steelers roster was built to be successful, but with a solid foundation. There’s no desperation in its construction. Pittsburgh has long been a steady franchise that isn’t prone to impulsive zigs and zags. Omar Khan is continuing that tradition, building the Steelers the right way even in the face of the toughest division in the NFL.
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