INDIANAPOLIS, IN – – Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan was among the first wave of general managers to speak with the media at the 2025 NFL Combine. With the Steelers having looming questions about the quarterback position for the second straight season, as well as holes at receiver and at multiple levels of the defense, Khan has work to do when March 12th rolls around and the new league year begins. In terms of what that work will entail, these are my biggest takeaways from his press conference.

All quarterback options are on the table

I asked Khan about if there was a preference in keeping Justin Fields or Russell Wilson over going outside the organization for a trade.

“Ideally, we’d love to keep one of the guys we had with us last year,” Khan said. “We don’t have anyone under contract, so until that happens all options are on the table.”

Khan was asked how he’d evaluate the play of both Fields and Wilson.

“There were good things from both of them,” Khan said. “Glad to have had both of them with us. It was a good experience. Both of them are really great people. But the reality is we ended the season with five straight losses, and that’s not good enough.”

When asked if there was any interest in Matthew Stafford, Khan reiterated that all options are on the table.

“I’m not going to comment on the specific players or things that are out there,” Khan said. “One thing I’ve learned is that there’s a lot of fake news out there, it’s just part of what we do. But I’ll say that all options are on the table.”

Broderick Jones will play left tackle

We didn’t get to see what a long-term pairing of Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu looked like in 2024 due to the latter suffering a season-ending knee injury, as well as the Steelers still starting Dan Moore at left tackle. When asked about what the plans were for Jones, Khan said he will be the left tackle.

“As we stand here right now, it is safe to assume that Broderick will start the offseason at left tackle,” Khan said. “He did that successfully at Georgia so we’ll see how it shakes out.”

Khan added that Mason McCormick is someone who the Steelers are very pleased with.

“He got better every week. We’re excited to have him and excited what the future holds for him.”

With Jones at left tackle, Fautanu will come back as the right tackle. By the sounds of it, the Steelers will also keep McCormick as the starting right guard, which would lead to Pittsburgh having four out of five starting linemen being players that have been drafted in-house over the last two drafts – three of which were drafted in 2024.

Cornerback is a top priority

I asked Khan about his belief in Cory Trice and the possibility of him taking that leap to be a starter opposite of Joey Porter Jr., to which Khan gave a very blunt answer.

“The reality is that durability has been an issue,” Khan said. “And until durability is not an issue, that’s a position we have to keep our eye on.”

Donte Jackson will be a free agent this coming March, and it’s hard to see the Steelers bringing him back unless it is on a cheap deal where he is depth more than anything else. Perhaps they take a big swing at someone like D.J. Reed or Charvarius Ward.