Omar Khan should be eating his words after polarizing offseason trade comes back to bite the Steelers at worst possible time
A fundamental flaw in the Steelers’ roster-building process showed its face on Sunday in Cleveland.
When the Pittsburgh Steelers kicked off free agency with a blockbuster trade that netted the team DK Metcalf, the thought was, “Man, the Steelers finally have two real wide receivers.” Metcalf and George Pickens were a duo that everyone who watches the NFL, much less bleeds black and gold, wanted to see.
Only, we never did. The Steelers not only traded Pickens, who has gone on to have a career year with the Dallas Cowboys, but also did so after the NFL Draft. Then, when the NFL trade deadline came around, the Steelers were outbid and sat on their hands. Well, following Metcalf’s suspension, the Steelers and Omar Khan should be eating their words.
Omar Khan and the Steelers missed the mark on the WR room
“We just finished minicamp, and I was just talking to Coach T. and a couple of the other guys in my department, and we were just saying how good we felt about that [WR] room,” Khan told 93.7 The Fan in June. “Just the growth from when the offseason program started to where we are now. Even the improvements from the start of OTAs to now has really been awesome to see.
“We like the group. We really, really do. And they’re working hard. This was an important OTA and minicamp for us. Got a lot of new faces on offense and just seeing how they jell together, how they worked, and I can just tell you, it’s trending really positively. It was awesome.”
Steelers should have never traded George Pickens without a replacement
Well, come the final play in Cleveland on Sunday, the top three WRs on the field at minicamp and OTAs, Metcalf, Calvin Austin III, and Roman Wilson, weren’t even on the field. Metcalf due to suspension, Austin due to injury, and Wilson because, for whatever reason, the Steelers and Aaron Rodgers don’t trust him.
So instead, Rodgers thought his best option to win the game would be a fade to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, a player who was signed from the practice squad just weeks ago. The other WRs on the play? Scotty Miller and Adam Thielen.
“We certainly got capable men, and we expect those guys to make necessary plays, and we certainly didn’t make enough today,” said Mike Tomlin of the WR room via the Steelers YouTube channel after the game.
The Steelers were always a Metcalf missed game away from what happened on Sunday. Metcalf bears blame for being suspended, but the Steelers and Khan built their offense around one player.
Barring a victory against the Ravens, that decision may cost Khan and the Steelers a lot more than the AFC North.
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