Pittsburgh Steelers fans who are upset with the George Pickens trade aren’t going to like what general manager Omar Khan said about the current state of the wide receivers room.
After a year-long search for an adequate running mate for Pickens, the Steelers finally landed one in DK Metcalf. However, that pairing sadly never saw the light of day after Pickens was shipped off to the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday.
Say what you want about the trade, but there is no denying that the Steelers are back to square one at wide receiver, as the team does not have a legitimate No. 2 option at the position on the roster.
It’s understandable why that’s troublesome to Steelers fans. After all, we saw what a bad wide receivers room looked like last year, and this year’s version isn’t any better.
The Steelers general manager sees things very differently, though. Khan actually thinks the current wide receivers room is in much better shape than last year’s group.
“We wouldn’t have done (the Pickens trade) if we didn’t feel good about the receiver situation, about our depth there,” he said, per Mike DeFabo of The Athletic. “I know people make a comparison about last year. It’s not even close to being the same.”
Before we rip this statement to shreds, allow us to show you why Khan feels this way.
“Obviously, we made the investment with DK. We’ve had another year with some of the young guys and gotten to know them, watch them develop,” Khan explained. “We added Robert Woods. Roman’s healthy…”
You want to make the argument that DK Metcalf is better than Pickens? I can definitely agree with that, although I don’t think it’s a big chasm between the receivers.
Other than that, what else is there really to write home about?
A clearly over-the-hill 33-year-old wide receiver in Robert Woods? He was less productive than Van Jefferson in 2024, with the former tallying 203 yards to the latter’s 278.
Calvin Austin is a nice piece, but he’s not a No. 2 receiver you can stick on the outside opposite Metcalf. Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek are deep reserves, nothing more.
Roman Wilson played five snaps in an injury-plagued rookie season and was even a healthy scratch at one point. He is a total wild card and if the Steelers are depending on him for big things in 2025, that is a terrible idea.
And what other young guys is Khan talking about? Undrafted free agents? Please.
Steelers fans have been screaming for the franchise to make a change at head coach and general manager with the team stuck in neutral for years now. Khan’s comments will only add more fuel to that very hot fire.
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