Bucs VP Spytek, Titans VP Cowden Get Second Interviews with Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers will have second interviews with Tampa Bay Buccaneers vice president John Spytek and Tennessee Titans vice president Ryan Cowden as part of their search for a new general manager, according to a report by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

The Steelers will also have a second interview with former Buffalo Bills general manager Doug Whaley.

Spytek has been with the Buccaneers for six seasons, being elevated from director to vice president of player personnel in 2021. Before his time in Tampa, Spytek worked for the Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions in scouting and operations. He’s spent 18 seasons in the NFL in total.

With Tampa, Spytek has overseen the college and pro scouting departments. The Steelers have been focused on candidates with a scouting background for their vacancy, which occurred after longtime general manager Kevin Colbert stepped down following the 2022 NFL Draft.

Cowden is the Tennessee Titans’ vice president of player personnel. Like Spytek, his background is in talent evaluation. Cowden has been with Tennessee since 2016 after spending the previous 16 seasons with the Carolina Panthers as a college scouting director. In total, Cowden has 22 seasons of NFL front office experience.

The first round of interviews for the position, completed before the 2022 NFL Draft, involved a total of 16 individuals, including two internal candidates in Omar Khan and Brandon Hunt.

The second round of interviews, which is expected to involved Colbert, head coach Mike Tomlin and president Art Rooney II, will begin this week. The Steelers have not disclosed a timeframe for making their hire.

Colbert made the decision at the end of the 2021 season to step down after 22 years on the job following last month’s draft.