Steelers And Omar Khan's Aggressive 2024 Offseason Approach May Be Over

It has certainly been an unprecedented offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers and General Manager Omar Khan. The leader of the front office (since 2022) has made most of the Steel City adore him after the complete revamp of the roster in the critical area of quarterback. Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph all left town, while Russell Wilson and Justin Fields completely turned the room over. Trading Pickett and Diontae Johnson, while also acquiring Fields and support at cornerback in Donte Jackson, was electrifying for fans, but those aggressive moves may be over for Khan and co.

One of the more pressing needs following the departure of Johnson is wide receiver. The team has addressed the room by adding Van Jefferson and Quez Watkins. Cordarrelle Patterson also entered the mix on Tuesday, but he is mainly looked at as a running back and return man. Rumors swirled about Khan targeting San Francisco 49ers star, Brandon Aiyuk, but General Manager John Lynch shut that down.

Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette hosted a fan chat on Tuesday and someone asked the beat writer about who is going to be the number two wide receiver behind George Pickens. Any potential thought of a blockbuster trade seems to be temporarily out the window, and maybe altogether. Fittipaldo was confident in his response.

"The trade talks have quieted," Fittipaldo wrote.

It should be looked as a bit concerning if the organization planned to have the guy opposite of Pickens as a rookie. There is some immense talent in the class, but that's a questionable thing to bank on, even with the franchise's history of successfully drafting wideouts. Pickens deserves 12 or more targets per game, but when he gets double-teamed, he is going to need a partner-in-crime to work with.

Fittipaldo continued by telling the reader that it's definitely a questionable situation as it stands at the moment while the NFL Annual League Meeting is going on. Could the Steelers really believe in one of the current guys a lot more than anyone knows?

"As for the second and third receiver spots, I agree with you. There is work to be done. I view Watkins and Jefferson as 4 and 5 types more than 3s. Seems like they have an abundance of 4s and 5s with Calvin Austin too. Maybe they feel better about one of those guys than the rest of us," Fittipaldo wrote.

One would have to think that, if they did, it would be 2022 fourth-round pick Calvin Austin III. The speedster missed his entire rookie season and didn't create too much noise in his sophomore season. He's also likely to be the slot guy, which still leaves a huge hole on the outside to pair with Pickens. Austin emerging would be a great outcome, but there still needs to be a formidable second wideout.

The offense is completely turning over. The quarterback and wide receiver rooms have been flipped upside down due to trades and free agency, while the offensive line is sure to see more of the transaction wire other than Mason Cole and Chukwuma Okorafor being released. It's going to be a completely fresh and new unit under Arthur Smith. Khan still has some work to do if he wants the quarterbacks to have a top-notch receiving core.

Steelers Having One Of Their Loudest Offseasons In Franchise History

It's too hard to tell at this point if Khan's aggression is done for the 2024 offseason. He didn't rule out trading for a center, although, it seems as if a first-round prospect could be wearing the black and gold soon. Overall, he has done a magnificent job of trimming the fat, and will continue to do what is necessary to get Pittsburgh back in the business of winning playoff games.