During Colin Cowherd’s Monday podcast on “The Volume” platform, former NFL scout John Middlekauff panned the Pittsburgh Steelers’ front office.

“A lot of people in the NFL kind of have them red flagged operationally, I would say,” Middlekauff said. “Not necessarily (Mike) Tomlin, just the new GM (Omar Khan), just the new thoughts from the front office.”

Whatever those new thoughts are that Middlekauff is referencing are leading him to believe that the Steelers may be a team that drops off in 2024.

“One thing I’ve heard in the league is, for a long period of time, with Kevin Colbert, who was one of the best general managers in the league, and Mike Tomlin — who’s a really solid coach, has some flaws, but Mike Tomlin’s better than most — I do think this transition, and this new front office, I don’t think they’re quite viewed like the same powerhouse,” Middlekauff said.

“I think the Steelers, they’ve got a lot going on when it comes to the transition in the front office, which is natural. Most teams don’t go smoothly from GM to GM or coach to coach. And I just think they’re an organization to kind of keep an eye on.”

Middlekauff, who hosts the “3 and Out” podcast, intimated that perhaps the Steelers are running out of luck when it comes to constantly avoiding a losing season and that would especially be the case if they went into next year with Kenny Pickett as the starter at quarterback. But he also hinted that the Steelers may make a run at Russell Wilson.

—@JohnMiddlekauff and @ColinCowherd on Kenny Pickett and the future of the Steelers pic.twitter.com/dfaYIqd0eO

— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) March 4, 2024

Middlekauff, who used to work as a scout for the Philadelphia Eagles, said it would be “insane” for the Steelers to enter 2024 with just Pickett as the starter while bypassing other options in the free-agent, trade or draft markets.

Anyone who has read my work here at TribLive over the years doesn’t have to search very hard to find me ripping the Steelers and their seven-year playoff drought. So it’s not like I’m predisposed to push back against criticism of the team.

Quite the contrary. In fact, when it comes to the national media, I’m pleasantly surprised when any sort of analysis goes at all beyond, “Don’t you know they haven’t had a losing season since 2003?!”

However, I’ve got to throw a few red flags on Middlekauff’s description of the Steelers’ front office being “red flagged.” To me, “red flagged” is a damning term that needs a little more explanation.

Does that mean in regard to negotiation tactics with agents and drafted/free agent players? Does that mean in terms of scouting practices and acumen? Is this a veiled reference to the low grades from the NFLPA for the Steelers in terms of facilities and the players’ views on owner Art Rooney II?

We don’t know because Cowherd didn’t press for a clarification, and Middlekauff didn’t really provide one. Instead, he just made one fleeting reference to Khan being a bit more reliant on analytics in his approach than Colbert was and his assessment that the transition between the two men hasn’t been as smooth as has been presented publicly here in Pittsburgh.

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It would be tough to “red flag” Khan’s first year as general manager. His first draft class appeared to get off to a good start. Broderick Jones, Joey Porter Jr. and Keeanu Benton largely showed promise as potential long-term starters. Darnell Washington and Nick Herbig look valuable in sub roles. And even Cory Trice Jr. and Spencer Anderson provided flashes in limited looks over the summer.

Regarding last year’s veteran acquisitions, Isaac Seumalo proved worthy along the offensive line. They got more than anticipated out of the inside linebacker trio of Cole Holcomb, Kwon Alexander and Elandon Roberts until Alexander and Holcomb got hurt. Allen Robinson was at least helpful in the run game at receiver, and Patrick Peterson was what can be expected of a 33-year-old defensive back who had to be moved to safety in the middle of the season. And deciding to keep Mason Rudolph in May ended up saving the whole year.

So I balk at Khan’s performance being worthy of a “red flag” unless, again, Middlekauff’s use of that term goes more toward behind-the-scenes details about how the sausage is made versus how it tastes once it’s processed.

Or at least how it was processed in 2023. Which somehow resulted in a 10-7 record despite the team’s many flaws.

These flaws, apparently, in Middlekauff’s view, have very little to do with Tomlin.

I’ll be the first to throw a red flag on that.

Disassociating Tomlin from the Steelers’ shortcomings over the past seven years and blame-shifting the weight largely off of his shoulders and onto Khan’s, Rooney’s, Colbert’s, the players’ and even those of ousted coordinator Matt Canada is bogus and gutless.

If we are waving red flags over the heads of the Steelers as a franchise, let’s make sure Tomlin has one over his head specifically as well.

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