2023 free agency report card for Steelers GM Omar Khan

A look back at how last year’s free agent signings panned out…

Steeler general manager Omar Khan made a name for himself in his first year at the helm for the NFL draft. When you get tagged with a complimentary nickname your first day on the job, you have earned the respect of the organization.

When the Steelers traded up three spots to select highly touted left tackle prospect Broderick Jones right in front of the tackle-needy New York Jets, it was seen as a savvy veteran move by the rookie GM. Mike Tomlin referred to him as the “Khan Artist” in an interview shortly after it was learned that the Steelers’ cost to move up those three spots was less than expected (only a fourth-round pick when similar moves cost a third-rounder).

To cement his first draft as an all-around win, Khan would trade back 13 spots in the third round and replace that missing fourth-round pick as compensation. The first rule of the draft is “Get your guy” and Khan did so by snagging Jones. The second rule of the draft is “Don’t overpay to get him”. Khan nailed both of those and restocked the pick with the trade back on day two of the draft.

Getting the draft right is only one piece of building a roster. Signing free agents before the draft is the other big piece of the picture. Let’s review and grade how Khan did on free-agent signings in 2023.

All salary info comes from Spotrac. Unless otherwise noted, I have referenced first-year and guaranteed money for all of these free-agent signings, as they have minimal dead cap hits if the Steelers choose to release the player after the first year.

Day 1 free-agent signings

CB Patrick Peterson: B-

This may be the grade that I will get the most pushback on. When free agency opened on March 16, priority one was Patrick Peterson. His play in 2023 was nowhere close to what it had been. Of course, Peterson’s previous play has him looking for a gold jacket in Canton as soon as he is eligible for the Hall of Fame. After 12 seasons, the abilities are trailing off noticeably, and the Steelers got less than Peterson’s usual. At age 33 his straight-line speed and change of direction are diminished and we are left with a guy using his smarts more than his athleticism. I say that to highlight that Peterson replaced Cam Sutton on the roster who is also a guy who also relied on smarts over athleticism. The football IQ of both players offers the versatility to play at corner outside and in the slot, as well as at safety when needed.

The Steelers guaranteed Peterson only $7.15 million if they decided to move on after one year. Compare that to the $22.5M commitment the Lions made to Sutton over two guaranteed years for the same type of player, and you can see value in the Peterson signing.

The Steelers had six years of Sutton to evaluate him and wouldn’t overpay for a cornerback who lacks size, speed, and physicality. Sutton’s PFF grade dropped from 71.6 in 2022 to 56.0 in 2023 while Peterson’s dropped from 80.7 to 60.5, so it’s not like the Steelers lost much making the switch. Peterson’s experience also gave the Steelers a mentor for a talented rookie cornerback when they drafted Joey Porter Jr.

G Nate Herbig: D

Like Peterson, Nate Herbig was a signing made on the first day of free agency. The Steelers were looking for either competition or a replacement for Kevin Dotson. Pittsburgh would be the third team in three years for the young journeyman. A guaranteed $4M in his first year would be a bargain if he became the starter. However, just five days later, the Steelers paid good money for guard Isaac Seumalo, relegating Herbig to being a pricey backup as his $4M would rank No. 18 for Steeler players last year.

According to Pro Football Reference, Herbig would play just 158 total snaps on offense in his first season. His play didn’t stand out as either good or bad, pretty much what you would like out of your backups. Dotson and his $2.25 million salary would be traded to the Rams where he had an outstanding season earning a PFF grade of 85.2 compared to Herbig’s 67.6. The change of scenery certainly did Dotson some good, but his PFF grades in three years with the Steelers were between 64.5 and 66.2 — very similar to what Herbig provided. The Steelers paid more for a lesser talent and then spent even more money on the position with Seumalo.

ILB Cole Holcomb: A-

Cole Holcomb was another Khan target on the first day of free agency. After gutting the ILB roster, Khan found a very affordable and very productive young player to step in and fill the void. Prior to the Week 9 freak leg injury that would end his season, Holcomb played 85% of the snaps on defense, tallying two forced fumbles, two passes defensed, and 52 tackles while wearing the green dot helmet to communicate the play calls from the coaches. Quite simply, he was playing good football at a position that had been a revolving door of bad for the Steelers over the past several years. The cost for this huge improvement to the defense was just a guaranteed $6 million in his first year.

Day 2 free agent signings

DT Larry Ogunjobi: B-

Larry Ogunjobi had played on a one-year prove-it deal in 2022. While he only missed one start, he was constantly nagged by injuries. The injuries went away by the end of the year and he played 77% of the snaps over the last 3 games. Bringing back a healthy version of Ogunjobi for 2023 seemed a wise decision compared to creating another roster hole. Ogunjobi is more of a play disruptor who has never filled up a stat sheet with impressive numbers. He put up career-average numbers for sacks and tackles, but his tackles for loss fell from a career average of 8 down to just 3. Not having a healthy Cam Heyward as his DT partner for most of the year certainly had an effect. $12 million guaranteed in the first year turned out to be an overpayment even though Ogunjobi put up decent numbers again.

ILB Elandon Roberts: A+

Like Larry Ogunjobi, Elandon Roberts was part of Khan’s agenda on the second day of free agency. Roberts came to the Steelers known as a sure tackler who didn’t offer much at all in pass coverage. Roberts would inherit the green dot when Holcomb went down and seamlessly coordinate an endless number of running mates at inside linebacker for the rest of the year. It was like a football version of Last Man Standing, and Roberts performed well above both expectations and pay level. At $3.5 million for the year, Roberts was an absolutely spectacular value.

LG Isaac Seumalo: A

As mentioned earlier, Isaac Seumalo was the second free agent brought in to upgrade the guard position from Kevin Dotson. The Steelers identified Dotson as the biggest weakness on the offensive line and brought in the best available upgrade. At $8.25M for the first year, what’s not to like? Seumalo played as advertised at a reasonable price. The weakness of the offensive line was turned into its strength. The only thing that keeps me from giving this one an A+ is the Herbig signing that preceded it. That was a lot of money used on two players to replace one.

April free agency signings

S Damontae Kazee: C-

Damontae Kazee was re-signed after playing 9 games in 2022 and maintaining his reputation as a ball hawk with two interceptions. Kazee would add another pair in 2023 but oftentimes looked out of position. What worked great in 2022 was a three-safety package of Kazee, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Terrell Edmunds. The Steelers chose not to bring back Edmunds, and even when healthy the position never looked good. Kazee’s cost was a manageable $2.8 million for the year. His three-game suspension at the end of the season didn’t help matters any.

S Keanu Neal: D

The Steelers chose to replace Edmunds with Keanu Neal. Neal was always known as a hitter and not a coverage guy. ACL and Achilles injuries earlier in his career took away some of his speed and made him a bigger liability in coverage. $2 million in first-year money is peanuts for an NFL veteran, but when you consider that Edmunds signed with the Eagles for that same money and is a younger, healthier, and better option it boggles the mind as to why the Steelers couldn’t retain him.

Veteran minimum contracts

Vet minimum deals carry no downside unless the player performs so badly that it costs you games. As such, the grades here are very favorable.

CB/ST James Pierre: A-

James Pierre again served as an excellent special teams piece but logged just 26 snaps on defense all year.

DL Armon Watts: A-

Armon Watts was a rotational defensive lineman who made little impact but logged 28% of the defensive snaps at minimum wage.

WR/ST Miles Boykin: A

Much like Pierre, Miles Boykin continued his excellent special teams play while adding highly effective blocking at the wide receiver position.

CB Chandon Sullivan: A+

Chandon Sullivan was signed during the third day of the draft during the lull when the Steelers had no picks in the 5th or 6th rounds. He played 37% of the snaps as the slot CB, replacing Arthur Maulet, who had asked for a raise or to be released. With the signing of Sullivan, the Steelers granted Maulet his release. Sullivan notched 1 INT and 6 passes defensed.

A pair of quality signings after the draft

OLB Markus Golden: A+

Late into May, the Steelers signed a depth edge rusher in Markus Golden to a vet minimum deal. Playing 22% of the snaps in relief of Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt, he would record 3 sacks.

ILB Kwon Alexander: A+

July was almost over when the Steelers added depth to the inside linebacker room with the often-injured but very skilled Kwon Alexander. He would live up to his reputation by contributing 1 sack, 1 INT, 41 tackles, and 5 TFLs before his season would end with an Achilles injury early in Week 9.

Omar Khan’s overall grade in 2023 FA: B

The handling of the guard position cost the Steelers financially a bit more than it probably should have, and the decisions at safety cost the Steelers with on-field performance all year long. Holcomb and Roberts came out of nowhere to solidify a lingering deficiency and the vet minimum guys were all solid signings. Not bad for a rookie GM!