While the NFL Draft process has been ongoing throughout the college football season and playoff, most NFL fan bases are just now getting acclimated to the draft process with the Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowls taking place. However, as the NFL calendar slowly shifts from regular season play to the draft process, there are times when scouts and personnel department members are permitted to leave to find employment elsewhere.

For the Pittsburgh Steelers that is exactly what happened with Assistant Director of Pro Scouting Dave Petett. According to Neil Stratton of Inside the League, the two parted ways once Petett’s contract expired.

The #Steelers & Asst Director of Pro Scouting Dave Petett have parted ways as his contact has ended. Petett, who played DT for @LehighFootball, spent 2 decades with Pittsburgh.

Teams often allow scouts to depart early in the draft process so they can latch on quickly elsewhere.

— Neil Stratton (@InsideTheLeague) January 30, 2024

If you’ve never heard of Stratton or Inside the League, Steelers beat writer for The Athletic, Mark Kaboly, double checked to ensure Petett was no long with the team, and he had been removed from the team’s official website.

Petett is no longer listed on the team's website. Interesting. He was just promoted 2 years ago. https://t.co/KAW0GTSngD

— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) January 30, 2024

While some might feel as if these decisions are always done in a negative context, it isn’t always the case. Sometimes the employee might want a fresh start, or want to be closer to family. Most Steelers fans remember being befuddled when Mike Munchak left the Steelers for a lateral move with the Denver Broncos. It seemed odd at the time, then you learned of Munchak making the move to be closer to family, not out of disdain for the Steelers or bad blood between the two parties.

Nonetheless, the Steelers will now have to fill that vacancy in their scouting department as the team turns all of their attention to the offseason, and the 2024 NFL Draft.

Be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the team as they press on throughout the offseason.