— The Steelers’ 2023 offseason, Omar Khan’s first as the Steelers’ general manager, exceeded expectations.
It net key free agents like guard Isaac Seumalo, cornerback Patrick Peterson, linebackers Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, and Kwon Alexander, and more who contributed heavily right away. It also brought forward a strong 2023 draft class, marked by a trade up for tackle Broderick Jones, a selection of franchise cornerback Joey Porter Jr., and calculated moves to bring in defensive tackle Keeanu Benton, tight end Darnell Washington, and outside linebacker Nick Herbig to help round out a group that can be argued as the best crop of draftees in recent memory.
Khan’s encore performance for the 2024 offseason begins this week in Indianapolis at the NFL Combine, which begins with drills for defensive linemen and linebackers Thursday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Before we get to on-field football, though, Khan will meet with reporters on two separate occasions. He will convene with traveling Pittsburgh reporters Monday at 5:30 p.m., and he will hold his general media scrum at the Indiana Convention Center at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Here are a handful of top-of-mind topics Khan could address between his two press conferences:
1. GROWING SALARY CAP
On Friday, the NFL announced the salary cap will be set at $255.4 million per team, which is a $30 million increase from the 2023 salary cap. According to data from OverTheCap.com, the Steelers effectively have $5.3 million in cap space going into the Combine. Teams have until March 5 to franchise tag players, the period known as “legal tampering” begins March 11, and free agency begins March 13 at 4 p.m.
The Steelers have several free agents to account for — more on one obvious one coming shortly — and have clear needs to address on the offensive line, defensive line, secondary, and other spots. Khan’s comments about the growth of the salary cap and his potential hints about what the Steelers might prioritize in free agency based on this growing cap number could help set the tone for what this offseason could look like.
2. QUARTERBACKS
Mason Rudolph is among the Steelers’ free agents in this cycle. Art Rooney II and Mike Tomlin have publicly voiced their desires to retain Rudolph, who is expected to test the market after leading the Steelers into the playoffs with a strong three games to close the regular season.
The “yeah, but” around Rudolph, though, is the idea that he would immediately enter a competition with Kenny Pickett once training camp begins. Rooney has noted he is looking for “quality” play from the quarterback position like Rudolph provided, while Tomlin expressed 2024 as a “huge” year for Pickett. Rooney has also said a potential trade for a quarterback would be in the “unlikely” category.
That doesn’t mean the front office won’t do their diligence on some quarterbacks testing in Indianapolis. Regardless if Rudolph re-signs, the Steelers’ QB3 position was made vacant with the releasing of Mitch Trubisky. There are options to be had in Day 2 and Day 3 of the draft, unless the front office feels strong enough about one of these to-be rookies to select one in the first round to really jump-start the competition with Pickett — or make the idea of a competition go away altogether — if Rudolph doesn’t re-sign.
Nonetheless, Khan could provide some insight on where things stand with Rudolph, Pickett, and the position in a general sense.
3. WHAT’S THEIR FLAVOR?
“Flavor” isn’t the descriptor for the shrimp cocktail served at the renowned St. Elmo Steak House in Indianapolis. “Flavor” is the descriptor of what positions of need might be prioritized in this draft versus what positions might be prioritized in free agency.
Last offseason saw a clear prioritization of inside linebacker within the free agency period, while two cornerbacks and two offensive linemen were taken within the draft. The added experience at inside linebacker provided the Steelers what was considered by Tomlin as a “luxury” up until Holcomb and Alexander were knocked out for a significant portion of the season. Meanwhile, Porter and Benton were two of the best rookies on the defensive side of the ball across the NFL, and they give the Steelers hopeful pieces at their positions longterm.
If Rudolph re-signs, the Steelers won’t have a quarterback on their roster younger than Pickett at 25 years old. Larry Ogunjobi is entering his age-30 season, and Cam Heyward is entering his age-35 season along the defensive line. The Steelers haven’t hit on an inside linebacker draft pick in a decade. Those options come to the top of the mind with respect to positions that could use an influx of youth.
4. HOLE AT CENTER
The Steelers released Mason Cole Friday, which leaves a clear need at the center position if there already wasn’t one. There are internal options to slide over to the position like Nate Herbig and James Daniels, but it’s more likely the Steelers will be looking at free agency, trades, and the draft for someone new to snap for new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
Tomlin was on top of offensive line drills at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., nearly a month ago, and no offensive lineman stood larger than Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson. He, certainly, is an option for the Steelers with the 20th overall pick. West Virginia’s Zach Frazier is also an attractive option for the Steelers, though perhaps not with the 20th pick. Powers-Johnson and Frazier are the consensus top-two draft options at the position, with Georgia’s Sedrick Van Pran, Arkansas’ Beaux Limmer, and Michigan’s Drake Nugent, among others, to follow.
Free-agent options at center could also be considered. The Dolphins’ Connor Williams, the Rams’ Brian Allen, and the Titans’ Aaron Brewer — who played for Smith in Tennessee in 2020 — are among a few of the top ones available.
5. WHY SMITH?
Smith was hired as the Steelers’ offensive coordinator amid the Senior Bowl events, which Khan and others from the Steelers’ front office attended alongside Tomlin.
Smith guided a successful offense in his two seasons as the Titans’ coordinator in 2019 and 2020. The Titans ranked 10th in points and 12th in yards in 2019, and his offense boomed to finish fourth in points and second in yards in 2020. Ryan Tannehill was named to the Pro Bowl in 2019, and the Titans went 11-5 and won the AFC South in 2020 while Tannehill threw a career-best 33-to-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
But, his offensive prowess fell off in his three seasons as the Falcons’ head coach from 2021 to 2023. The Falcons didn’t finish above 15th in the league in points or above 17th in yards leaguewide, and they finished 7-10 in each season under Smith.
The Steelers interviewed three candidates for their offensive coordinator post: Smith, Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson, and former Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown. The Steelers reportedly requested to interview former Rams passing game coordinator Zac Robinson, but he never formally interviewed and instead took the Falcons’ offensive coordinator job. Johnson remained with the Texans, and Brown joined the Bears’ staff as their passing game coordinator.
A name widely linked as a potential candidate for the Steelers was former 49ers passing game specialist Klint Kubiak, but he never interviewed with the Steelers and is now the Saints’ offensive coordinator. The Steelers hired Smith before the AFC and NFC championship games, which indicates either Smith was a prioritized candidate or the Steelers didn’t have interest in Kubiak to begin with.
Khan has not spoken publicly since Smith was hired, so any context provided by the general manager this week about the hire will be the first.
