Steelers fans, and sometimes reporters, like to give assistant GM Andy Weidl a love of credit for their roster construction. Hired in conjunction with the promotion of Omar Khan to GM, they have slightly altered the team’s priorities. In recent drafts, they have emphasized physicality, particularly up front.
Weidl does occasionally speak to the media, and he has a long history in the NFL. He played a key role in the Eagles’ chain of development, including setting their draft boards. As the Steelers’ assistant GM, he obviously does a lot here, too, but exactly what is less clear.
Given his status, he always seems like a potential candidate for a promotion. Weidl’s name often comes up when other teams are looking for general managers. While he has never held that role, he has all the preparation for it.
While it has long seemed it would only be a matter of time before the Steelers lose Andy Weidl to another team, he is now three years in. To the best of my knowledge, he hasn’t even interviewed with another team for a vacancy. Still, Gerry Dulac is confident his time will come.
Asked during a recent chat if Weidl would be a general manager in the NFL within the next two years, he said, “Andy will be a GM in this league soon”. While he does seem to have a very good reputation around the league, the interest hasn’t quite matched it.
Or perhaps Weidl is making it clear that he is not begging for a general manager job. He reportedly likes working for the Steelers, and they pay him well. I’m sure he would leave for an ideal job with a great team, but he has stability in Pittsburgh. Being a general manager in a funhouse of a football team isn’t necessarily an enviable job.
The Steelers had Kevin Colbert as general manager or an equivalent job for over two decades. He had his hand in every aspect of the team, though Khan generally handled contract negotiations. When they promoted Khan, the perception that he was the “numbers guy” was only fueled by their hiring of Andy Weidl. Especially since, prior to that, they never even had an assistant general manager position before. They created it for him.
Still, it’s difficult to truly evaluate the Steelers’ recent roster-building efforts. Their first draft pick after hiring Weidl was Broderick Jones, after they traded up for the Georgia product, and we still don’t know about him. Last year’s class saw its contributions somewhat limited due to injury.
If the Steelers’ recent draft classes pan out as well as their early praise would indicate, that will certainly raise Andy Weidl’s stature even further in NFL circles. This season could be a big year for just that. If that should come to pass, don’t be surprised if he takes his first interviews in 2026.
