Examining Steelers' Remaining GM Candidates

Story by Yinzer Crazy Contributor Anthony DiCerbo. Follow him on Twitter @snarfvenom

With the draft behind us, it is time for a new era of Steelers football in more ways than one. Not only is the franchise stalwart at quarterback retired, the man who drafted him is also riding off into the sunset. 

The 2022 draft was the last one by longtime Steelers GM Kevin Colbert. In the draft, Colbert gave whoever his successor is a gift in Kenny Pickett, but the Steelers still need someone to lead the ship after his retirement. In the time leading up to the draft, and in the weeks following, the Steelers have been conducting an exhaustive search for their new general manager, and a core list of candidates is starting to take shape. 

Omar Khan (Steelers)

Khan is one of two internal candidates that have been interviewed to take over Kevin Colbert’s job. Khan currently serves as the VP of Football and Business administration with the Steelers. He began his career in football as a scout with the New Orleans Saints, was hired away by the Steelers, and has been with Pittsburgh since 2001. He is given a lot of credit for helping the Steelers navigate the salary cap, and in the past has had other teams interested in him as a potential GM, including interviewing with the Bears this past offseason. He has already gone through two interviews with the Steelers, and it is a very real possibility that if the Steelers go in a different direction that Khan will look for a promotion elsewhere. 

Brandon Hunt (Steelers)

Hunt is the other internal candidate that the Steelers are considering for their GM opening. Brandon Hunt is currently the Steelers Pro Scouting Coordinator. Hunt has been with the Steelers since 2010, and also has had other teams around the league interested in him. He recently interviewed with the Bills for their assistant GM position, and the Eagles have shown interest in him as well. Hunt interviewing for other jobs at the same time doesn’t bode well for his chances, but he certainly can’t be ruled out, as the Steelers have announced that they had a second interview with him. It does though appear that if Hunt isn’t the choice, he will be moving on from Pittsburgh.

Doug Whaley (Former Bills GM)

Whaley, while not currently with the Steelers, does have experience working with them in the past. Whaley started out as a scout with the Steelers, helping them draft talents like Troy Polamalu and Lawrence Timmons during his time with them. Whaley then left for Buffalo, and three years into his tenure with the Bills he was promoted to GM. During his time in power with the BIlls, Whaley made moves like trading up for Sammy Watkins, trading for LeSean McCoy, and hiring Sean McDermott. Whaley was then let go after the 2017 draft. Since his time with the Bills ended, he has served as senior VP of football operations for the XFL, a title he still holds. He has gone through two rounds of interviews with the Steelers, and brings experience as a GM, as well as experience from his previous time with the black and gold. Recently, Whaley has stirred up a little bit of controversy amongst Steelers fans by saying legend Jack Ham would only be a special teams player in today’s NFL. 

Ryan Cowden (Titans)

Cowden is a name to keep an eye on in the Steelers’ search for a GM. He has already gone through two rounds of interviews and has 22 years of experience in NFL front offices. He spent his first 16 years with the Panthers, and has been with the Titans since 2016. He currently serves as their VP of Player Personnel, serving in charge of all areas of the Titans' scouting. 

John Spytek (Buccaneers)

If the Steelers are looking for someone with recent Super Bowl experience, they have that in John Spytek. He serves as the VP of Player Personnel with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he has been for the past six years. Previously, Spytek worked with the Broncos, Browns, and Eagles. Notably, he helped the Bucs sign Tom Brady, and then return all 22 starters from their Super Bowl roster last season. Spytek has also gone through a second round of interviews with the Steelers.

Andy Wiedl (Eagles)

Another VP of Player Personnel for the Steelers to consider, this time it’s a Pittsburgh native in Andy Wiedl. Weidl currently works with the Eagles in their front office, but has previously worked with the Ravens and Saints, and got his start in 1998 with the Steelers. During his time with the Steelers, Weidl worked with the legendary Steelers scout and Hall of Famer Bill Nunn. He was a part of the staff in Baltimore that put together their 2012 Super Bowl roster. Wiedl has gone through two rounds of interviews with his hometown team, solidifying him as a realistic candidate for the job. 

Conclusion

There is a pretty good chance that the choice to replace Kevin Colbert is on this list somewhere, and when looking through it, you can see plenty of connections to Pittsburgh. Andy Wiedl, a Pittsburgh native, and Doug Whaley previously worked for the team. Brandon Hunt and Omar Khad still work with them. Everyone on this list has experience and some success in an NFL front office, but whether that translates to Pittsburgh remains to be seen.

No matter who the choice is, they will have some tough shoes to fill in the absence of Kevin Colbert, but hopefully, Colbert’s parting gift in Kenny Pickett can make their job just a little bit easier.