The talk of the town right now is the NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles and how they rebuilt themselves in two years and now have a chance to be a juggernaut for years to come. Luckily for the Pittsburgh Steelers, on their staff they have one of the masterminds in the resurgence of the Eagles: Andy Weidl.
Weidl joined the Steelers last spring as assistant general manager after former general manager Kevin Colbert retired and Omar Khan, who was known as the contracts guy in Pittsburgh, was promoted to general manager. Weidl is heading up the scouting for the Steelers now, and when looking back at what he did in Philadelphia it is hard to not get excited.
Since 2020, Weidl, in collaboration with Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, drafted important players such as quarterback Jalen Hurts, wide receiver DeVonta Smith, and offensive lineman Landon Dickerson. In addition he has drafted defensive lineman Jordan Davis, offensive lineman Jack Driscoll, running back Kenneth Gainwell, and wide reciever Quez Watkins who all have impacted the Eagles this season and could be important pieces in the future.
Looking towards his work with the Steelers, Weidl’s success in important scouting roles in front offices could lead to success on the field for Pittsburgh. In his time in Philadelphia he helped the Eagles win a Super Bowl, and has now helped build a team that is competing in a Super Bowl.
One person who believes Weidl will be successful in Pittsburgh is former Steelers director of football operations from 1991-1999 and also Weld’s co-worker and mentor in Philadelphia Tom Donahoe. Speaking to Mike DeFabo of The Athletic, Donahoe voiced his support for Weidl, even going as far to say Pittsburgh could see Eagles-esque results.
“He and Howie Roseman did a great job of collaborating on the drafts,” Donahoe said to DeFabo. “I have total confidence in Andy that if the Steelers let him do his thing, they’ll have a chance to get similar results.”
In his first full offseason with the Steelers, it will be interesting to see how Weidl acts. In Philadelphia, he was known to prioritize the trenches during the draft, which could be the case again in Pittsburgh with a thin and average offensive line group, and a defensive line group with a few pending free agents and an aging Cameron Heyward.
In his seven years with there Eagles, Philadelphia spent a total of a whopping 21 picks on either an offensive lineman or defensive lineman. This has led them to have a dominating front on both sides of the football and has helped them get to the Super Bowl and look to be contenders for a long time.
In addition to his draft philosophy that prioritizes the trenches, Weidl was also part of a Roseman staff that was aggressive. This past offseason, the Eagles made a blockbuster trade to acquire wide receiver A.J. Brown from the Tennessee Titans that sent a couple of draft picks back to Tennessee. This move gave Hurts a huge weapon and was a big part in helping the Eagles offense become unstoppable this year.
Pittsburgh is known to hold on to draft picks and not make too many splash moves in free agency, but now with Weidl and Khan in charge maybe some things change. Weidl learned first hand from Roseman who’s aggressiveness paid off big time. Maybe he instills some of that in Pittsburgh and the team makes a big move this free agency to try and build a contender as soon as possible with quarterback Kenny Pickett under a rookie contract.
It is unlikely, given the Steelers Way™, but with some new names in new roles in the front office you never know for sure. It is just one aspect of this offseason that will be very interesting from a Steelers perspective and it will be very exciting watching it all unfold.
