Steelers fans and media love to credit assistant GM Andy Weidl with as much as possible. But how much credit does he deserve? That’s hard to ascertain without knowing exactly what role he serves, but knowing the Steelers, it’s probably highly variable. Coming from the Eagles, though, certain similarities merit comment.
And that’s what Eagles commentator Ross Tucker sees when he looks at the Steelers.
“There’s no question that that’s what Andy [Weidl]’s trying to do,” he said on the Kaboly + Mack podcast about similarities between the Steelers and Eagles. “And he’s very good at it, by the way.”
While he got his start with the Steelers, Andy Weidl truly blossomed with the Eagles. There, he rose to vice president of player personnel, earning an interview for the Steelers’ general manager position. When they opted to hire Omar Khan, they created an assistant general manager role. Before Weidl, the Steelers never had one before. And his philosophy, which he shares with Khan, is to build through the trenches.
In the three drafts since the Khan and Weidl team took over, the Steelers have drafted nine linemen, including five offensive linemen, two defensive linemen, and three first-round picks. They have doubled up on either the offensive or defensive lines each year, a common pattern with the Eagles.
“I think a lot of teams around the NFL have seen what the Eagles have done and they’ve decided, ‘You know what? That’s our best path to success,” Tucker said. “Obviously, the Steelers don’t even have an average quarterback right now, so they’re trying to go ahead and do it O-line, D-line.”
And Tucker sees that as part of the Andy Weidl philosophy he brought over from the Eagles, which is why the Steelers hired him. After all, they actively hired him, meaning they like what he does and want him to do it. The Steelers wanted to rebuild their trenches, saw his role in the Eagles doing just that, and said, “I’ll have what he’s having.”
Of course, the Steelers’ trenches are not where the Eagles’ trenches are, either offensively or defensively. At least, they are not at this point, but they are in the building and developing phase. Weidl and company have supplied the rooms with talent, so now it’s about putting it all together.
Tucker is excited about the Steelers’ offensive line, and particularly about Troy Fautanu. He also spoke positively about Keeanu Benton, and Cameron Heyward goes without saying. First-round DL Derrick Harmon is the new piece in the puzzle, which they should see much of early. But how much Andy Weidl is responsible for all of this, it’s hard to say.
The jury is also still out on the players the Steelers have drafted since hiring Andy Weidl, particularly Broderick Jones. If he doesn’t pan out, Weidl probably isn’t going to want all the credit for trading up to draft him. Going into his third season and moving to left tackle, he is in for a pivotal year. And so is the former Eagles executive’s first big influence on the Steelers’ roster.
