The St. Louis Rams may be close to landing their new general manager, according to Steve Wyche of the NFL Network. Owner Stan Kroenke will be weighing on the final decision soon, rounding out the team's new leadersip troika with head coach Jeff Fisher and COO Kevin Demoff.
Wyche reports that the team is down to "two or three" candidates for the position, citing a team source. They plan to parade those finalists in front of Kroenke in the coming days and have a GM hired next week sometime.
As far as who those finalists might be, that remains to be seen. Vikings personnel exec George Paton is the only candidate known to have interviewed twice since the Fisher hiring became official. Les Snead of the Falcons has interviewed twice as well, once prior to Fisher's hiring. Others to have interviewed include Tom Gamble of the 49ers and Steve Keim of the Cardinals.
The Rams requested permission to interview Steelers director of administration Omar Khan, who has been busy in his job restructuring player contracts and clearing cap room. Khan differs from the other candidates in that he does not come from the personnel side; he's a cap guy.
Reports as to whether or not the Rams were granted permission to talk to Khan differ. Tony Softli reported that they had received permission to talk to Khan, but a later report from the Pittsburgh Tribune said that the Rams had still not received permission to talk to him. The Steelers might be reluctant to let him go given their dicey cap situation and pressing needs on the roster. If the Rams GM does not have control, even just as a formality, the Steelers or any other teams do not have to grant permission.