Mar 29, 2024 5 min read

By Dale Lolley

For the Observer-Reporter

newsroom@observer-reporter.com

ORLANDO, Fla. – Give Steelers general manager Omar Khan credit. He’s not one to sit around poolside doing nothing.

Khan proved that this week in Orlando when he agreed to contract terms with four players while the NFL’s annual meetings were taking place.

In the past week, the Steelers added wide receiver Quez Watkins, defensive lineman Dean Lowry, quarterback Kyle Allen and running back/kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson in the span of about 24 hours, agreeing to terms with all four while the meetings were taking place.

And while none of those signings are as earth-shattering as adding quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields or linebacker Patrick Queen earlier in the free agency process, it just shows that Khan is always looking for ways to improve the team.

“I don’t ever necessarily consider myself or describe myself as aggressive,” Khan said. “You know, I’m trying to do everything I can to help. I owe it to Steeler nation to do everything I can to try to get to the Super Bowl. And every decision that we make and that we talk about is based on that. Sometimes we make moves and we make decisions. Sometimes we don’t. But it’s always with the intent of doing what we can to get to the second week in February.”

Again, none of the moves made this week are going to get fans excited. But they’re the kind of depth-building moves that come into play in mid-October when injuries and attrition start to happen around the league.

• It is interesting that the Steelers agreed to terms with Patterson on a two-year deal the same day the NFL decided to tweak its kickoff rules to force teams into more returns.

The NFL is moving to a modified kickoff rule that places the coverage unit on the opposite side of the 50-yard line and all but forces the receiving team to attempt a return. The idea is to make kick returns safer while also keeping them a part of the game.

The move comes after the league modified its rules to allow for more fair catches, taking one of the most exciting plays out of the game.

For example, the Steelers had only 24 kick returns in 2023, while their opponents attempted just 18. It was sometimes the better option to fair catch the kickoff or take a knee in the end zone and get the ball at the 25.

Now, with returns back on the table, in Patterson the Steelers have the best to do it in NFL history. The 33-year-old Patterson holds the NFL record with nine kick return touchdowns. He’s led the league in return average three times and total return yards on two other occasions.

It also doesn’t hurt that he spent the past three seasons playing for new Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith in Atlanta, where Smith converted the long-time wide receiver to running back.

• What made Wilson attractive to the Steelers?

Quite frankly, according to head coach Mike Tomlin, it was Wilson’s desire to re-establish his legacy.

Considered a potential future Pro Football Hall of Fame player in his first decade in Seattle, Wilson lost a little of that luster the past two seasons in Denver.

But the Steelers believe he can regain at least a portion of what made him a nine-time Pro Bowl player.

“I think probably the most attractive component of his profile to me is his quest for greatness,” Tomlin said. “His chase for legacy. This is not a guy who is hungry, meaning that that can be satisfied. This is a guy that’s driven. And you want to work with people of that mindset. This guy’s got a vision of what he wants his career to look like. And he’s got a lot of work to do. Obviously, he’s had some professional challenges, particularly in recent years, and he appears to be a guy that wants to meet those challenges head on and continue to move forward with his career. And that was attractive.”

That’s why Tomlin said Wilson has “pole position” over Fields in the Steelers’ QB pecking order. Wilson is the much more established player.

• The Steelers had no intent on also acquiring Fields after signing Wilson.

But after speaking to Pickett, Tomlin learned the young quarterback wasn’t interested in playing second-fiddle to the veteran.

So the Steelers traded Pickett to the Eagles and acquired Fields for a conditional 2025 sixth-round draft pick. They weren’t the offseason moves Khan envisioned.

Even a month ago at the NFL Scouting Combine, Khan insisted the Steelers only wanted to bring in another veteran to compete with Pickett. But that obviously changed.

“If you would have told me when we spoke in Indy that we’d be sitting here a month later and that Russell Wilson and Justin Fields would be our quarterbacks. I’d say, I’d be a little bit surprised,” Khan admitted.

• The Steelers believe they still have some moves to make.

Despite their recent signings, they’d still like to upgrade the center position, where Nate Herbig is currently penciled in as the starter. And add another wide receiver, either in the draft or free agency, to play opposite George Pickens.

Defensively, a slot cornerback is still needed.

“We’ve got some candidates, but obviously we’re probably still looking,” Tomlin said of cornerback. “I think that’s the position that we’re all looking for and looking at annually because some of the demands that come in that position in the NFL are somewhat different than in college. In college, oftentimes that guy is a safety-like guy. The coverage is so significant in the NFL that most of the time that guy is a corner-like guy. So, I think we’re all kind of scouring that position annually and seeing what’s available in terms of ready-made talent.”

Dale Lolley hosts The Drive on Steelers Nation Radio and writes a Sunday column for the Observer-Reporter.