Steelers GM Omar Khan Divulges on Keeping Ravens’ Derrick Henry in Check With DeShon Elliott as a Strong Safety

The Pittsburgh Steelers released an exclusive one-on-one interview with their GM, Omar Khan. While news revolved around strengthening their offense, a moment of epiphany hit the GM, prompting him to change the defensive side of things. Against the backdrop highlights of the NFL’s rushing yardage active leader (9,502), RB Derrick Henry’s merging with the Ravens, Khan must have felt alarmed. After all, just three days later, the Steelers made a strategic move.

A noticeable trade that the Steelers made was acquiring DeShon Elliot on March 14, who previously spent his tenure with the Ravens, the Lions, and more recently, the Miami Dolphins. Elaborating on his move, Khan said,  “Awesome! I mean, he’s a little bit of a throwback I get strong safety. You know 10 years ago, we probably be talking about him a little differently than where the game is today.

“But he fits our defense perfectly, I think, and you guys have seen the clips of him tackling the new running back in Baltimore that we’re going to be facing a couple of times a year, who’s an awesome player but just think he’s a good fit. He’s going to fit well into our defense,” said Khan. The Steelers are seemingly trying to preserve their defensive culture by hiring DeShon Elliott.

Ever since Elliot has joined the Steelers, a 2020 game snippet of the safety against the then-Titans’ RB Henry has resurfaced. Elliot hurdled Henry with a hit stick that gingerly led the RB to the sidelines for a brief while to check in with the trainers. Although the Ravens lost to the Titans (30-24), Elliot was then hailed as the new breed in the football landscape.

The Steelers have also hired linebacker Patrick Queen, Russell Wilson, and Justin Fields and traded Kenny Pickett, but there’s still a lot of ground left to be covered. In a candid interaction with Rob King, the host asked Omar Khan, “You were able to add a couple of wide receivers. Is that still a position you’re looking to to add?” Khan responded confidently, “Yeah, Rob, I’d say we’re always trying to add to every position. I’d say it’s a position, we’ll continue to evaluate.”

They went on to discuss the strengths of this year’s draft and the Steelers’ GM said, “You know it’s really a good draft… This draft it’s some good football players, you know I think the receiver positions are deep… Look at the offensive line, you know the tight end position’s got some good players. Defensively, the corner positions… This is a great, really good safety draft…”

There’s a lot of talk going on about how the Ravens’ running back had changed the landscape of the team. It would be fair to say that by teaming up with Lamar Jackson, they will have the most special tandem in NFL history. Besides the numerous accolades, Henry has more rushing yards than any other player (5,795) when the QB is under center. Not only this, but his traditional pro-style formation is truly jaw-dropping and can be beneficial over Jackson’s pistol formation.

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Alongside Jackson, the duo is just double the trouble. Henry truly comes as a versatile addition to the team and there is no reason why he shouldn’t be feared or be kept in check, as Khan suggested. There’s indeed a lot going on in the Steelers. The team’s head coach Mike Tomlin revealed some information about the Steelers recently as well.

Mike Tomlin is excited about the new QB lineup

In a recent press conference, Tomlin was asked about what he feels about Justin Fields. He motioned how he was excited over the prospect of having Russell Wilson and Fields on the roster. A reporter asked Tomlin how he felt about the ex-Bears QB Justin Fields. To everyone’s surprise, Tomlin was impressed with the QB.

“Oh my gosh, he oozes talent and potential. He’s worn the responsibility of being a franchise quarterback, but still, he gets the opportunity to come into a community-like situation and learn from a guy who has been doing it for over a decade. Man, there’s a lot of meat left on that bone,” said Tomlin on Justin Fields.

It’s good to know the team is still trying to maintain its signature defensive style of play while adding on significant offensive weapons. Would the Steelers have a successful run this year? Let us know what you think!

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