Mike Tomlin’s OL Assessment to Excite Russell Wilson as Omar Khan and Steelers HC Prioritized ‘Mature Players’

When the hardest-hitting players signs on, you know Coach Tomlin and GM Khan are building a Steeler squad that’s fixin’ to lay the smackdown. And that’s just one of the seismic draft moves that have the Burgh buzzing like The Chilly QB rattling those terrible towels.

Tomlin made it crystal in a press conference after the conclusion of NFL Draft 2024 that locking down a nasty offensive line was a priority uno to protect Russell Wilson’s blind side. The Head Ball Coach didn’t mince words, stating, “We’re looking for mature players with talent…that we should expect to have a high floor early on.” Music to Russ’ ears after getting battered in Denver.

The Steelers put their draft capital where Tomlin’s mouth is, snagging bookend tackle Troy Fautanu at 20 and center stud Zach Frazier early in Round 2. These college standouts weren’t just athletic freaks; they were leaders, winners, with the intangibles to start entrenching that O-line from Day 1.

Khan could’ve stopped there and pumped the brakes, but this was a ground-up rebuild. Maturity and physicality had to span the entire offensive overhaul. That’s why they doubled down on blocking masher Mason McCormick while injecting serious YAC ability with deep-threat Roman Wilson.

From the Steel Curtain foundation to the penny-pinching contracts, this draft screams old-school Steelers football. But the veteran free agent signings? Now that’s where things get juicy, as Khan gave Wilson an array of stabilizing weapons to kickstart this new era.

Steeler’s reinforcements for Russell Wilson’s air raid

While bolstering the offensive line was Job #1 for the Black and Gold, Omar Khan and Steelers HC had bigger plans to maximize Russell Wilson’s window. As Wilson himself enthusiastically tweeted, “Love this draft class for us @Steelers!!! Tough. Physical. Smart. Athletic!” The savvy GM went into a full-blown offensive armament, fortifying every level with established players ready to execute Tomlin’s smash-mouth schemes—a true cast of gridiron gunslingers—to amp up the Steelers’ aerial assault.

The headliners start with the blockbuster acquisition of former Bears QB Justin Fields during the offseason. Though initially brought in to provide competition, as Tomlin noted, “that remains to be seen…we’ll give them an opportunity to do that,” Fields’ dual-threat talents could prove invaluable in specific packages that apply maximum pressure on defenses.

But the skill position reinforcements extend well beyond the quarterback room. In the receiving corps, big-bodied targets like Van Jefferson and rookie Roman Wilson, who ran a blistering 4.33 40-yard dash at the combine, inject a jolt of size and physicality on the outside to complement Donte Johnson’s shiftiness underneath. And in the backfield, do-it-all weapon Cordarrelle Patterson, who racked up 1,166 yards from scrimmage last season, brings Offensive Player of the Year upside as a rusher, receiver, and potentially game-breaking return man. From the tone set in the trenches to the array of weapons assembled, everything is aligned for Wilson to thrive in the role of gunslinger behind the center.