The Pittsburgh Steelers have undergone a small, yet serious transformation this month since free agency started in the NFL. Omar Kahn has worked his magic again, transforming picks into players and vice versa, keeping up with his nickname, “the Kahn artist.” But have all of the moves been solid?

Today, myself Colby Sherwin will each grade the moves made by the team on both sides of the gridiron, listing our grade and reasoning behind every decision the team has made thus far.

Signings:

Russel Wilson – QB – 1 year – 1.21 million

Josh: B+

While I believe Russ’s best days are behind him, the upgrade at the position is fairly obvious, and for a league veteran’s minimum as well, I can’t complain. As long as he gets the weapons to win, I think he can succeed. Once the contract is up and the one-time Super Bowl winner is a free agent, then that opinion of him being QB1 might change.

Colby: A-

I agree with Josh that Russ’s best days are gone. But having him over Kenny Pickett is a much better option. They don’t have to pay the man much and will lead much better. As long as they snag some great weapons, it will work well.

Justin Fields – QB – Trade – 6 Round (Potential 4) Pick

Josh: A+

We’ll talk about the loss of Kenny Pickett later, but for me, this is the QB1 of the future on our roster, and while it might be smarter to look at the draft in the future due to the question marks around Field’s ability, for now, he’s a smart runner with decent to high arm talent who can be the backup in case Russ is injured or flops. My questions about Fields’ ability will cease until I see him in a real game, for now, the culture and coaching, or lack thereof, was the reason we find Fields on the Steelers today.

Colby: A+

They gave up nothing to get him! Fields will be much better for the team, with wheels, and has a much better pocket presence. If Broncos Russ returns then they can use Fields. My only issue is if they can bring him back next year.

Patrick Queen – MLB – 3 years – $41 million

Josh: A

I don’t wanna sound redundant here, but another excellent, smart move for the Steelers here. I’ve been a Patrick Queen fan since his LSU days. While there are some questions I have about his ability to lead a linebacker core as the number 1, I can’t help but think he’ll shine with having that defensive core of Highsmith, Watt, Heyward, Minkah, and also support from Holcomb. Sure, Roquan Smith may have elevated his game, but to keep him away from the Ravens and add such a strong talent, it can’t help but look like an excellent deal to me.

Colby: A+

The Khan artist strikes again! An elite linebacker heads to right side of the AFC North. Queen can stop the run, cover in pass situations, and is great in the blitz. When the Ravens brought in Smith, as Josh said he turned into a stud. The idea of Watt, Heyward, Highsmith, and Minkah makes me so happy as a Steelers fan. Not only all this but he has the keys to stop Lamar Jackson.

Donte Jackson – CB – Trade – Pick Swap & Dionte Johnson

Josh: B-

A move that will relatively fly under the radar until the season starts is the Steelers getting a stop-gap in their Secondary with Donte Jackson. While the ex-panther and vet will certainly be pushed deeper in the depth chart, he does fit a veteran role lost with the release of Patrick Peterson, and will fill out behind Joey Porter Jr. and Levi Wallace (as well as returning Corey Trice and any draftee) well. Reality is he’ll probably be cut or traded sooner rather than later.

Colby: B

The Steelers needed some secondary help, and Johnson needed to go the fanbase turned on him and it never really seemed like he cared anyway. Jackson has played well for the Panthers and giving him a chance to now be CB 2 for the team. He’s fast hits hard and can play the ball well. The only thing I worry about is injuries and time will tell.

DeShon Elliot – Safety – 2 years – $6 million

Josh: B

This signing I’m a bit skeptical of. DeShon Elliot is a veteran and professional, and a lot of people think he’ll fit the Steeler “scheme” and “culture”, but I think we’d be lying to ourselves if we think this is an upgrade on Patrick Peterson or Terrell Edmunds. He is a definite upgrade on Kazee, who flopped for the team during his first full year. So while the signing isn’t awful, the safety position with Minkah should not be a rock we keep kicking down the road.

Colby: A-

I really like this pickup. Elliot was good with the Dolphins last year and loves to play high in coverage. This means Minka can just worry about the deep passes which we haven’t seen in a while. With no Pat Pete slowing the team down, or Kazee taking people’s heads off the Steelers made a great pickup.

Van Jefferson – WR – 1 year – Unknown Salary

Josh: A

I’ve been a Van Jefferson fan since his breakthrough season with the Super Bowl-winning Rams, and with a slight bias, because he was on my fantasy team, I think he was fairly solid. A definite upgrade on Alan Robinson, or at least a certainly cheaper alternative to Alan Robinson and his large cap hit. Jefferson can fill a solid WR 3 or 4 role and is an all-around solid receiver.

Colby: B+

Ironically I loved Jefferson when he was with the Rams just like Josh. He’ll work well in the slot and he is incredibly fast. He’s got good hands and will be nice to have and he’s a cheap good pickup.

Re-Signings: Miles Killebrew, Montravius Adams

Josh: A

I think most people will automatically grade this high because of pro-bowler, Miles Killebrew’s return. Montravius Adam’s return is also solid but leaves a question of whether it is needed because of the recent surge of rookie Keanu Benton, but most depth is good depth.

Colby: A+

While this may not be the most flashy signings both were very big to keep. Killebrew is the best kick coverage player in the league, and at blocking punts he’s even better. Adams works well with the Steelers and makes a lot of plays. The running game is where he shines as well.

Releases/Trades:

Mitch Trubisky – QB – Released

Josh: A+

Tribusky’s cursed time in Pittsburgh ended with not a bang but a whimper, as after Pickett was hurt against the Cardinals, the team turned to their backup, who proceeded to throw three TDs and three INTS in three games before being benched by Mason Rudolph. Trubisky never lived up to his hype, and now returns to where he came from, backup to Josh Allen in Buffalo. A definite need to let go.

Colby: A+

And one of the most hated backups in the history of the Steelers is gone! As fans, we were sold on his ability to move in the pocket and run a play-action pass. In reality, he never threw it deep and the middle of the field was so barren that you could have camped there. When the team needed him most vs the Patriots, Cardinals, and Colts, he did nothing. I hope the Bills enjoy him.

Mason Rudolph – QB – Left as FA

Josh: C

I envisioned two paths the Steelers would take this offseason, either a Kenny/Mason battle for the starting spot, or a complete overall. The Steelers would take the latter, and naturally, if Mason would have no real shot at being the starter, he was going to leave. I think Mason earned his stripes here and while he may not have been the answer, the alternate universe where we watch a motivated Kenny Pickett take on the stone-cold Mason in the preseason would have been amazing.

Colby: C+

I mean Mason Rudolph never really was anything, and if you are a Mason fan you must be in your feels right now. He was a fine backup and got the chance to play with the Titans if Mayo Boy goes down with an injury. I’m glad he got them into the playoffs but it’s not a big loss.

Kenny Pickett – QB – Traded to Philadelphia

Josh: C

Me being a biased Pitt fan aside, I think Kenny Pickett is a decent QB and while he for sure is not a guy to take a franchise to a Super Bowl, he is certainly not as bad as he is being made out to be. Whether it be his apparent attitude issues or stats, people have quickly turned on Kenny, and for pretty much no reason. Kenny was 7-4 as a starter this year, 1-0 without Matt Canada. I’m surprised they didn’t give him another go-around, but honestly, I am happy Omar Khan just decided to rebuild the room.

Colby: C-

I will be upfront I am a Pitt fan. So first thank you Kenny for the ACC Championship, and I do think under the right system he can be good. But the Steelers and Pickett needed to separate. He never got his footing in the NFL and kept getting hurt, plus 13 touchdowns and 13 ints just are not good enough. He’ll be a good backup but I do wonder what happened to lead him to request the trade. But Kahn did rebuild to QB room in under a year.

Dionte Johnson – WR – Traded to Carolina

Josh: D

I was very mixed about Dionte Johnson being traded, but now I have concluded that I am rather disappointed in the trade. I get he did have some issues with it being either the QB or team, but I figured with a wholesale rebuild in the QB room, Dionte would be begging for a chance to play with one of Fields or Russ. And to send him to Carolina is dirty work for one of the best route runners in the league. Dionte will surely be missed in my eyes.

Colby: C

It is never good to lose someone as talented as Johnson but as I said he just did not work with the team anymore. He has scored a ton in the past two years but he does act dumb a lot. I hope it works with the Panthers because I like Brice Young and Johnson was fun.

Allen Robinson II – WR – Released

Josh: A

Being a fan of Allen Robinson has not been easy for the last couple of years. Ever since the Ex-Bears WR had his breakout year, the player has been tossed around a bit before finding himself in Pittsburgh. To put it simply, his cap hit was too large and the wideout did not make nearly enough of an impact to even think of justifying his stay.

Colby: A+

Honesty I forgot he was on the team, and that is all there is to say about him.

Mason Cole – Center – Released

Josh: B-

This may be one of my different or unique takes, but I believe a bad stretch of games lost Mason Cole his job. The center in my eyes by no means had a “bad” year. A couple of lowlights during the Steelers’ mid-season losing streak stood out to fans, but Cole’s few bad snaps, to me, were not reason enough for releasing the center. What I am happy about, is this is a sign of youth revolution on the O-Line, a rock the organization has kicked down the road for a couple of years. After passing up on players like Creed Humphrey and Tyler Lindenbaum, the Steelers are probably now looking to revamp their line with Broderick Jones and now a new star at center.

Colby: A+

Cole seemed lost out there. His snaps sucked and he was losing out on blocks, so it was ok to go. In layman’s terms, he is old and he sucks. I hope he finds a job soon, but when football expert Nate Kingston says, “I’m glad he’s gone.” Well, then you have all you need to know.

Other Releases: P Pressley Harvin, OT Chuks Okorafor, CB Patrick Peterson

Josh: B+

While I am sad at Patrick Peterson’s dismissal, it was long overdue to see Chuks Okorafor and Pressley Harvin see the door. Okorafor was benched early this season for rookie, Broderick Jones, after his career of inconsistencies became unbearable for the team, which is similar to the case of Pressley Harvin. The punter became a headache to the team and fans because of his wide variety of good or bad punts. One kick would cover the vast distance of the field, while the next would go 15 yards and out of bounds. Both players are ones that competitive teams cannot have taking the field for them consistently, and that’s why they have been cut. The case for Pat Pete was simply his cap hit.

Colby: B

This is not a slashy move, but slow guys, cannot do the job. All of these moves are good. They can find better dues for cheap. I love the idea that if you do not want to be here then you can get out.

Conclusions:

Josh:

If this article gives you anything, it should be a statement or rather commitment from the team, to compete for the next couple of years. Kahn has laid the groundwork for a clear direction for the Pittsburgh Steelers to be in the conversation for not only the North but the entire AFC conference. Such a vast overhaul on offense has rarely been done before, especially when it involves a recent first-round pick. So my conclusion is this: while I may not agree with all the moves, I am very pleased this team is setting a goal to use these years with a prime Steelers defense to be in the race for a coveted, seventh Lombardi.

Colby:

While I do not think the Steelers will win it all next year, I do think will be close. If Wilson flames out, Fields is right there. Jefferson will be nice and the defense is even better, as long as Arthur Smith does not lose his mind, I think this team will be fun to watch. The Kahn Artist will be cooking once again and the Steelers will be a dark horse team next year.