As anticipated, the Buffalo Bills have promoted Doug Whaley to General Manager.
Whaley replaces former GM Buddy Nix, who stepped down from the role on Monday. He becomes the 12th general manager in franchise history.
Whaley, 40, joined the Bills in 2010. He had been serving as Assistant General Manager/Director of Player Personnel under former Nix.
Bills president and CEO Russ Brandon says Whaley has all the qualities of a leader.
"He's great work ethic. He's tireless at work. He's one of the most humble guys I've ever met. Everything is about 'we,' it's about 'us.' He's been in the trenches. He's been scouting his entire career on the pro and the college side. I've never heard an individual in this league say one negative word about Doug Whaley," Brandon said at an introductory news conference late Thursday morning.
In signing Whaley to a long-term contract extension in February, the Bills indicated it was a move that cleared the way for a smooth transition for him to succeed Nix.
"It's not about me. It's about us and it's about this organization, from Russ instilling in the organization that this is a shared common goal to put this organization back where it's supposed to be [and] us competing consistently for championships. I buy into it and that's my philosophy," Whaley said.
Whaley played a role in the Bills' offseason overhaul while working as the team's assistant GM. He was part of the search team that hired Coach Doug Marrone in January and he was part of the scouting process that led to Buffalo selecting Florida State Quarterback EJ Manuel in the first round of the April draft.
Before coming to Buffalo, Whaley worked as a scouting coordinator with the Pittsburgh Steelers for 12 years and an area scout for the Seattle Seahawks from 1996-1998.
