Though Omar Khan and Andy Weidl headlined the Pittsburgh Steelers front office changes in May of 2022, the turnover didn’t stop there. Over the past two years, the Steelers have experienced plenty of turnover in their front office. Based on where things sit two weeks post-draft, this new-looking scouting department might be settling in.
Though Khan’s promotion to GM came with uncommon timing, post-draft, the benefit was that it was the time of year when scouting staff typically change. Some think a new GM will get hired in February and immediately hire new scouts. “His” guys. Not the case. By that point, the scouting department is in full swing, scouring colleges throughout the fall, compiling reports, and getting ready for the All-Star games. You can’t fire them and start over in January, nor is there anyone to hire. All scouts and personnel you might target are still with their teams, preparing their clubs for the draft. Instead, scout contracts typically run through the draft, allowing May to be the month for change to come.
In Pittsburgh, change there was. Here are the hirings Khan made in 2022.
2022 Changes
Andy Weidl – Assistant GM
Sheldon White – Director of Pro Scouting
Mark Sadowski – Director of Player Scouting
Chris Watts – Area Scout (South)
Casey Weidl – Scouting Coordinator
Braunson Williams – Scouting Intern
Andy Weidl was something of a package deal, announced at the same as Khan’s promotion. The two knew each other previously and Khan likely signed off on Weidl becoming his assistant. Andy brought brother Casey to the team, let go by the Philadelphia Eagles. White was tabbed to lead the pro scouting side, while Sadowski seems to be doing both. Watts helped Mark Gorsack’s territory and moved to the Midwest as Dan Colbert was promoted from area scout to Director of College Scouting. Williams was brought on as an intern as Fawwaz Izzuddin was promoted from that role to BLESTO scout.
This list doesn’t include promotions like Colbert, who received a big one, while Phil Kreidler and Kelvin Fisher had retitled roles as Senior Assistants.
The following year saw less change but still a handful of hires.
2023 Changes
Zach Crockett – Area Scout (Southeast)
Jim Ward – Area Scout (Midwest)
Jarrod Highberger – Area Scout (South/Mid-Atlantic)
Anthony Rooney – Scouting Intern
Donovan Moore – Football Analyst
Crockett finally replaced Rick Reiprish, who left/retired after the ’22 draft cycle, the team going without a true Southeast scout in 2023. Ward was added to the Midwest to replace the departed Gorscak, while Rooney was hired as an intern. That hiring came in January, earlier than most scouts. But with Rooney having family ties and not with an NFL team previously, it’s a different set of circumstances (he had also just graduated from college). Moore replaced Will Britt, who left for Dallas.
So far, the Steelers scouting department hasn’t made any reported changes. Their website shows the same list. All the accessible information online doesn’t suggest changes, and Neil Stratton, who loves nerding out about the scouting community, hasn’t tweeted about any additions or deletions. Could change still occur? Sure. This is still roughly the time of year when the Steelers make hires.
Why so much change? Part of that comes when a new regime takes over, even with an in-house candidate like Khan. New people and new ideas create change. Another factor, a topic I’ve written and spoken about before, was the rare continuity the Steelers scouting department had under Colbert. Guys just stayed put, and turnover was low. It was an older department that’s seen retirings or effective ones in Reiprish and Mike Butler. Others, like Brandon Hunt, left after being passed over for the GM job.
What could come next for the Steelers scouting department? Changes should be relatively low this year. Keep an eye on Phil Kreidler, the longest-tenured front office member without a Rooney last name. Retirement could be approaching. Curiously, we didn’t spot area scout Chris Watts once on the trail in 2024 after seeing him a bunch last year. Maybe we missed him. I saw him in the background of some of the Steelers’ pre-draft/war room shots, so he’s still with the organization as of this draft class. And we’ll have to see what happens with an intern like Williams, who has carried that title for two years. Usually, by then, you either get promoted or get going.
