First Call: Omar Khan talks about Steelers’ need at ILB, Diontae Johnson’s future
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Friday’s “First Call” examines Omar Khan’s statements about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ inside linebacker situation and Diontae Johnson’s future.
Plus we look at a busy weekend for local college hoops and the Robert Morris hockey playoff game.
Inside out
If you are looking for comfort when it comes to the Steelers’ inside linebacker position, don’t look to Omar Khan.
At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Khan didn’t sidestep the dearth of options the Steelers currently have at that spot.
“The inside linebacker position, we have Elandon Roberts under contract, Mark Robinson,” Khan said Thursday. “Cole Holcomb had an awful (knee) injury. I don’t really have a timetable when he’ll be back. Kwon Alexander is a free agent, but he also had a major injury (Achilles). So it’s obviously a position that we have to address.”
Mike Tomlin was similarly pessimistic about Holcomb during his season-ending press conference. So this sounds like a position that, yet again, the Steelers will have to reboot. That’s something they’ve been doing ever since Ryan Shazier got hurt in 2017.
Roberts was worthy of praise for his efforts a year ago, well exceeding the workload he was expected to occupy as just a pure run stuffer. Having him be an every-down player all season, though, is likely asking too much.
I’ve always thought that Robinson has had something to offer. But the Steelers have been open about the need for Robinson to better master the pre-snap nuances of the game before he becomes a regular starter.
The franchise also tried Mykal Walker, Blake Martinez and Myles Jack down the stretch at the position last year. Jack showed more than expected in his second tour of duty with the Steelers, but not enough to be brought back as a frontliner in 2024.
As we told you Thursday, the Steelers have been actively interviewing lots of linebackers at this week’s combine in Indianapolis. They include Texas A&M’s Edgerrin Cooper, Clemson’s Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Michigan’s Junior Colson.
Letting it slip?
Khan is usually tight-lipped. But he may have given us a clue about future plans for Diontae Johnson.
The team’s No. 2 receiver is scheduled to hit free agency after the 2024 season ends.
“As of right now, we’re having conv…” Khan said before stopping the thought. “I’m not gonna speak to specific negotiations for an individual player, but I have a lot of respect for Diontae. Usually, as you guys know, the extensions happen later on in the year.”
Johnson got a two-year extension back in August 2022. He’s racked up 4,363 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns with an 11.2-yard average via 391 career catches.
The 27-year-old was hampered by hamstring injury in 2023. It sidelined him for three games. But he still posted a career-high 14.1 yards per reception on 51 catches, adding five touchdowns after failing to score in 2022.
Johnson’s salary cap number is $15.8 million for the upcoming season.
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Watching the weekend
It’s a typically busy college basketball weekend for Pittsburgh’s local teams.
The Pitt Panthers (18-10, 9-8) are in Chestnut Hill, Mass., to visit the Boston College Eagles (15-13, 6-11) on Saturday at 6 p.m. Pitt is coming off a tough, seven-point loss to Clemson. The Eagles are losers of three in a row.
Duquesne (17-11, 7-8) is at George Mason (18-10, 7-8). That’s a 2 p.m. start Saturday. It’s the first meeting between the clubs this year. The Dukes won the lone matchup in Pittsburgh between the teams a season ago 75-52. Keith Dambrot’s team is looking to build off of Wednesday’s 75-63 win over La Salle.
Robert Morris’ last regular-season contest is Saturday (7 p.m.) at Purdue Fort Wayne (19-11, 10-9). The Colonials (10-20, 6-13) will be on the road for the first round of the Horizon League tournament which begins Tuesday at an opponent to be determined.
On the women’s side of things, Duquesne hosts St. Joseph’s on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Hawks (25-4, 14-3) are tied for second place in the Atlantic 10. The Dukes (18-10, 13-4) are in fifth place.
Pitt lost to Miami 62-44 on Thursday. The Panthers (8-22, 2-15) welcome BC (12-18, 4-13) at noon Sunday. Robert Morris is waiting to see who they play next Tuesday night in the first round of the Horizon League tournament.
Bobby Mo’ at Bentley
The Robert Morris men’s hockey team has its first-round playoff game Saturday night (7 p.m.). It’s RMU’s first postseason game since the program was reinstated to play this fall.
The 11th-seeded Colonials are in Waltham, Mass., to play sixth-seeded Bentley. The Atlantic Hockey playoffs are now one-and-done in the first round. Should the Colonials pull off the upset, they’ll face top-seeded RIT in a best-of-three in Rochester next weekend.
The Falcons played two games on Neville Island earlier this season. RMU gained a split, winning Game 1 by a 4-3 final score, losing the second game 3-0.
As for the women’s team, their season is done after losing a CHA semifinal series against Mercyhurst last weekend. However, star freshman Alaina Giampietro was awarded the CHA’s Nicole Hensley Rookie of the Year award Wednesday.
The redshirt Ohio State transfer ended the season with 31 points on 19 goals and 12 assists. Her goal total led all CHA rookies in 2023-24. Giampietro is tied for first among NCAA freshmen in goals (19) and game-winning goals (4) and is fourth in points (31).