Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Omar Khan addressed the media regarding the recent trade of wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys. The move quickly returned Pickens to Dallas in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick. Khan called the decision “one that made the most sense to everyone.” This move continues the Steelers’ pattern that we’ve seen under Omar Khan to mold their roster and develop their offense’s potential.
At the conclusion of the first practice, during a scheduled Zoom press conference, Khan provided high praise for his rookie class and his new group of wideouts. This received corps includes Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson, Scotty Miller, Van Jefferson and the just recently traded DK Metcalf. On one hand, he sounded pretty confident in their abilities, but left the door wide open for adding someone new.
“If there’s an opportunity to add a playmaker on offense, regardless of whether it’s a receiver or wherever it is, we’re going to look into it,” Khan said. With regards to the earliest free agents still out there, he admitted there’s some good players, but the Steelers are confident with their current 90 man roster. “There’s good players out there. If we wanted to bulk them up a bit, we could, but we’re pretty happy with them as is,” he continued.
Khan made it very clear that George Pickens didn’t request a trade. He pointed to the candor in their deliberations prior to even deciding to steer a course toward cancellation. “We just kind of talked about it, lots of serious conversation, honest conversations,” he noted. He reflected on Pickens’ time with the Steelers, stating, “You know we had three years with George, and you know we had some exciting times, but you know, it’s just time for the fresh start. For each side, it turned out to be the moral thing.
Regardless, if Pickens can’t play nice, the Steelers made the right choice to trade him. This trade is the first step in a larger strategy aimed at improving their overall offensive production. The move for DK Metcalf is an example of how serious they are about upgrading their receiver corps. Khan commented on this move, saying, “Obviously we made the investment with DK.”
As for future plans, Khan wouldn’t dismiss the idea of adding a second veteran wideout. If it doesn’t make sense, it doesn’t make sense. There are never good players out there,” he added. He didn’t rule out making trades. This signing has the potential to add even more firepower to the team’s offensive arsenal as they prepare for a brand new season.
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