“The trend is really positive”: Omar Khan happy with direction of Steelers WR room

Even the most casual observers of the Pittsburgh Steelers could probably tell you that the weakest position on the roster is WR depth. It’s been talked about since the offseason since Diontae Johnson was traded during the first week of free agency in March. George Pickens should be the impact receiver who will carry most of the load, but who will help take the focus off of him or replace him if he gets hurt?

So far the answer has been to throw mud at the wall and see what sticks. The Steelers added Van Jefferson, Quez Watkins and Scotty Miller in free agency, then drafted Roman Wilson in the third round. They also have Calvin Austin III and a few other practice squad players who will compete for a role on the team.

General Manager Omar Khan spoke about the Grand Ballroom during an appearance on 93.7 The Fan’s The PM team and seems satisfied with the general direction taken by the group.

“We just finished minicamp and I was just talking to Coach T. and a few other guys in my department, and we were just saying how good we felt in that room,” Khan said. “Just the growth from when the offseason program started to where we are now. Even the improvements from the beginning of OTAs to today are truly impressive to see.

“We love the group. We really, really do it. And they work hard. It was an important OTA and minicamp for us. I have a lot of new faces on offense and I’ve just seen how they fit together, how they work, and I can just tell you the trend is really positive. It was great.”

Let’s be honest, was he really going to sit there and say it’s a big deal? Probably not. But it may also be true that what he says is authentic and accurate. Each of the receivers I listed has potential. Scotty Miller had a good season with Tom Brady in Tampa Bay. Van Jefferson played a role on the Super Bowl-winning Los Angeles Rams team. Quez Watkins has 25 career starts and had a season in 2021 with 647 receiving yards. Austin has impressed his peers and coaches throughout OTAs and minicamps.

There remains a chance the Steelers can add to their WR room. Khan wasn’t going to lend a hand in that regard, but he did mention that they freed up cap space via restructuring Alex Highsmith’s contract in order to be ready to make a move if an opportunity presented itself , although he didn’t specifically say. at the wide receiver position. This at least suggests that they might be interested in an upgrade if the right situation arises or if the receivers don’t continue to trend in the right direction during training camp.

For now, we have to assume the Steelers’ WR room will remain as it is, but that could get closer to a roster reduction when several veteran players become available in September.