The Pittsburgh Steelers have completed their general manger interviews and will choose Kevin Colbert’s successor from the group of six candidates who received second interviews, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Here are the six candidates who received second interviews. Four of the candidates were external, while two candidates are currently with the club.
Brandon Hunt (Steelers pro scouting coordinator)
Hunt, who was a member of the Steelers’ scouting department when Pittsburgh won the 2005 Super Bowl, returned to the team in 2009 after spending two seasons with the Texans.
Omar Khan (Steelers VP of football and business administration)
Khan, 44, has been with the Steeles since 2001. The Steelers have won two Super Bowls and three AFC titles during Khan’s 21-year run with the franchise.
Ryan Cowden (Titans VP of player personnel)
Cowden has spent the past six years with the Titans, who last season clinched the AFC’s No. 1 seed heading into the postseason. He spent the previous 16 years with the Panthers, who won two NFC titles during his time with the franchise.
John Spytek (Buccaneers VP of player personnel)
Spytek played an integral role in helping build the Buccaneers’ roster that won the franchise’s second Super Bowl at the end of the 2020 season. Spytek, who has spent the past six seasons in Tampa Bay, also won a Super Bowl as a member of the Broncos‘ staff in 2015. Spytek’s NFL experience also includes time with the Browns, Eagles and Lions. He was Tom Brady’s college teammate at the University of Michigan, where he played linebacker from 1999-02.
Doug Whaley (Former Bills assistant GM and director of player personnel)
A Pittsburgh native, Whaley spent a decade as the Steelers’ pro personnel coordinator. During that time, Whaley helped scout several future defensive standout that includes Troy Polamalu, LaMarr Woodley and Lawrence Timmons.
Andy Weidl (Eagles VP of player personnel)
Weidl has 20-plus years of NFL scouting experience and is preparing for his seventh season with the Eagles. He helped construct the Eagles’ roster that won the franchise’s first Super Bowl title at the end of the 2017 season.
Whoever replaces Colbert will have big shoes to fill. Colbert, who arrived in Pittsburgh in 2000, helped build rosters that won two Super Bowls, three AFC championships, and 10 division titles. The Steelers made the playoffs 14 times in Colbert’s 22 years in Pittsburgh. They had just one losing season, as their streak of 18 consecutive non-losing seasons is the longest in the NFL.
Colbert’s replacement will be tasked with several pressing personnel decisions that include possible contract extensions for receiver Diontae Johnson and free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. The Steelers are coming off a 2021 season that saw them make the playoffs after compiling a 9-7-1 regular season record. Pittsburgh’s offseason has included the free agent signing of Mitchell Trubisky and the selection of former Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett with the 20th overall pick. Both quarterbacks will compete with Mason Rudolph to be the team’s Week 1 starter.
