Steelers should be thankful for Kevin Colbert’s tenure
By Andrew Falce
With the recent report that Colbert is planning on retiring after this offseason, it is high time that we reflect on the incredible job that he has done.
Kevin Colbert has been an instrumental force in this Steelers dynasty, and with the reports surfacing that he will depart after the draft, he is deserving of some praise. While his strategies haven’t always been foolproof, he has consistently built a strong roster that is contending for the playoffs. It is likely an end of an era, as Colbert exits with Ben Roethlisberger, who is also set to retire after this season.
No one should be shocked that Colbert is hanging it up after this offseason. It was in the cards from the beginning of the year. The team did its best to fill holes and acquire a team that could win this year despite losing a load of talent in the offseason. Add in some of the more aggressive trades he made, it seemed like he was gearing up for one final run.
While Colbert has his share of issues, as a whole it is hard to find a general manager that has had a more successful tenure than he. He joined the team in 2000 and has since transformed this roster into a perennial competitor. He builds a team properly and has had an incredible amount of depth on any given roster.
Colbert has succeeded in all accounts with the Steelers
His draft history is strong despite some people only pointing out his flaws. Sure Artie Burns, Jarvis Jones, and Devin Bush are some of his misses, but he has a slew of great picks. Add in his efficiency with mid and late-round picks and specifically, his skill at picking receivers and Colbert is one of the better drafting GMs in the league. Every GM has missed in the draft. It is going to happen. The fact of the matter is, Colbert is well above the average for a drafting GM.
Free agency is a different story. While Colbert has added some great players in free agency, he has had his fair share of misses as well. The thing is, Colbert was never going to build a team through free agency. His goal was to fill a hole in the short term until the team could field a better option. In that regard, he was successful, albeit not nearly as successful as he was in the draft.
The worst aspect of his job is his trades. While some have turned out ok, he seems to really miss here. That said, he has also gotten a lot out of the players that he has traded away. Considering the turn Antonio Brown took, getting a third and fifth-round pick for him seems like highway robbery at this point. Not a strong point in his game, but Colbert still did ok with his trades.
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With so much change incoming for the Steelers, it is important to remember what Colbert has done for this team. While not perfect (no GM is), he has consistently put together talented rosters capable of competing. He is deserving of all the praise he gets and losing him will be a hard blow. Thank you, Kevin Colbert, for what you have brought to the Steelers.