Though he has not been the general manager of the Pittsburgh Steelers for long, Omar Khan has done a pretty good job in his position. Pittsburgh’s 2023 and 2024 drafts, the first two with Khan at the helm, were very well-received by analysts and fans alike. However, following the news of Brandon Aiyuk re-signing with the San Francisco 49ers, much of Omar Khan’s good work as the Steelers general manager will be overshadowed by his amateurish handling of the wide receiver room.
Omar Khan Went All-In on Brandon Aiyuk – And Failed
Foolish Diontae Johnson Trade
The Steelers participation in the Brandon Aiyuk saga can be traced back to their trade of Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers. Pittsburgh received Donte Jackson and a pick swap in exchange for a wide receiver who was very productive for them. Johnson was a strong compliment to George Pickens; Johnson was the always-open, shifty route runner while Pickens was the explosive home run threat.
There was an obvious void left in Diontae Johnson’s absence. In the draft, Pittsburgh could have drafted a receiver with one of their first two picks. Omar Khan and company wisely elected to prioritize their offensive line rebuild, not addressing their receiver room until they drafted Roman Wilson in the third round. While he’s a promising prospect, Wilson will exclusively play in the slot for the Steelers; he’s no replacement for Diontae Johnson.
The backstory of trading Johnson without a replacement plan leads to Khan’s biggest mistake of the offseason.
Khan Put All His Eggs In One Basket
There were opportunities to add other wide receivers during the offseason, but the Steelers were never able to get a deal done. Courtland Sutton was a player Pittsburgh tried trading for, but they didn’t want to meet the Denver Broncos’ asking price. This reveals yet another issue with Khan’s approach to replacing Johnson; he backed himself into a corner that required him to either overpay or be left with an abysmal group of receivers.
This is interesting, but it lines up with everything logically.
Either way, if the Broncos would've traded Courtland Sutton for a third-round pick, Courtland Sutton would've been a Steeler by the time the 2024 NFL Draft ended. https://t.co/dAqwlimTgx
— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) August 30, 2024
Even after the initial round of roster cuts, there were multiple options who could have been positive additions for the Steelers. Tim Patrick was released by Denver and Noah Brown was let go by the Houston Texans. Neither player would have transformed Pittsburgh’s offense, but both would have been surefire upgrades. But Omar Khan didn’t claim either Patrick or Brown off waivers. All of his eggs were in the Brandon Aiyuk basket. Aiyuk was the last domino standing. With him off the market, the Steelers are left with what they have at wide receiver.
The Outcome: A Really Bad Wide Receiver Room
By trading away Johnson and unsuccessfully going all in on Aiyuk, Omar Khan has metaphorically dug his own grave. Pittsburgh, who has made key upgrades at quarterback, linebacker, and offensive line, hopes to end their postseason win drought in 2024. That becomes much more difficult with a wide receiver group consisting of Pickens, Van Jefferson, Wilson, Calvin Austin III, and Scotty Miller.
The Steelers plan to win through the trenches. Their game plan will revolve around running the ball efficiently and often. But this is still the modern NFL; teams don’t consistently win games and compete for championships with dreadful passing offenses. While Omar Khan deserves credit for both of his drafts and some free-agency moves he has made, he totally mismanaged Pittsburgh’s wide receiver room. Even if they ended up landing Aiyuk, it was still a bad process to go all-in on one player. Unfortunately, the Steelers ended up with a double whammy of a bad process and a bad outcome.
Main Image: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
