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Brooke Pryor, ESPN Staff Writer
PITTSBURGH — As has become uncomfortably routine in the last several years, coach Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers enter the offseason at a crossroads. Though not identical, the theme of this intersection is similar to the ones faced by the organization throughout the past five years: What is the Steelers offense and who will lead it?
After the unprecedented midseason firing of offensive coordinator Matt Canada, the Steelers have one obvious vacancy to fill. As with all major club decisions, three individuals will work together to make the call: general manager Omar Khan, team president and owner Art Rooney II and Tomlin. Both Tomlin and the organization have a track record of hiring the familiar and promoting internally. But in his end-of-season news conference days after the wild-card loss to the Buffalo Bills, Tomlin said he felt it “appropriate” to go outside the franchise to find the next offensive coordinator, ruling ruled out interim O-coordinator/running backs coach Eddie Faulkner and playcaller/quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan from the candidate pool.
Since being hired as head coach in 2007, Tomlin has worked with four offensive coordinators. Of that group, three were internal promotions: Bruce Arians, Randy Fichtner and Canada. Todd Haley, hired from outside the club to replace a dismissed Arians, was still plenty familiar to the organization as a Pittsburgh-area native and son of Dick Haley, the Steelers’ former director of player personnel.
Half of Tomin’s O-coordinators were first-time playcallers in the NFL, but they did have experience at the collegiate level.
But with an offense searching for an identity and steadily declining in production throughout the last three seasons, Tomlin appears poised to break from tradition with his most pivotal hire to date in an effort to restore a standard that’s slipped amid a seven-year playoff-win drought.
“I’m looking at outside candidates and lining up the pecking order there,” Tomlin said last week.
The priorities for those outside candidates: score more points and figure out the quarterback situation.
In each of the past two seasons, the Steelers finished near the bottom of the league in scoring. In 2023, they averaged 17.8 points per game, down from 18.1 in 2022. In 2021, Roethlisberger’s final season and Canada’s first, the Steelers averaged 20.2 points per game, and even that was a drop from 26.6 in 2020.
That’s a trend Tomlin wants — and needs — to reverse.
“I want us to be versatile and dynamic,” Tomlin said, explaining the criteria for an offensive coordinator. “Obviously, we’ve got to score more points. I want to be able to keep defenses off-balance.”
The Steelers’ offensive identity, as it has historically, will likely remain rooted in the ground game, but the next offensive coordinator will be tasked with deciphering the quarterback conundrum. While Tomlin said 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett will resume his status as QB1 this offseason, the quarterback will have competition after he regressed in an injury-riddled second season.
Tomlin expressed interest in re-signing Mason Rudolph, who’s set to hit free agency after helping the Steelers to an offensive surge and three-game win streak to finish the regular season, but the head coach also said he’ll keep an eye on quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL draft.
With Tomlin acknowledging that 2024 is a “huge” year for Pickett ahead of the fifth-year option decision due in May 2025, the next offensive coordinator must balance getting the most out of Pickett while also evaluating his viability as the long-term answer for the Steelers.
“This game is quarterback-driven,” Tomlin said. “Offenses are quarterback-driven. And so, their expertise in that area is a significant component of the search from my perspective.”
The same goes for evaluating the rest of the offensive personnel. The Steelers have undeniable talent in players such as running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, wide receivers George Pickens and Diontae Johnson, offensive linemen Broderick Jones and Isaac Seumalo, and tight end Pat Freiermuth, but that talent didn’t consistently translate into production and players spoke of an offensive leadership void. There were flashes of greatness — Freiermuth’s 120-yard game, Pickens’ career-best 195-yard, two-touchdown outing against the Bengals, Harris’ back-to-back 100-yard performances — but the next offensive coordinator needs to implement a system that uses the Steelers’ weapons more fluidly and doesn’t take half a season to get going.
With that criteria in mind, keep an eye on these names:
Checks all the boxes
Eric Bieniemy
Relevant experience: Washington Commanders assistant head coach/offensive coordinator, Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator
Steelers fit: Though currently still under contract in Washington, Bieniemy’s future is up in the air after head coach Ron Rivera was fired following a 4-13 campaign. His first season as the sole playcaller had mixed results with the Commanders in a very pass-heavy offense. But Bieniemy is known for innovative, high-output schemes, a tough love leadership style, and his role helping Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to win two Super Bowl in three appearances. At points throughout the 2023 season, the Steelers offense lamented a lack of solid leadership, and many of the veterans expressed a preference to lead by their actions, rather than through fiery, rallying speeches. As a defensive head coach, Tomlin could land an offensive counterpart in Bieniemy if he doesn’t wind up with a head-coaching gig.
Thomas Brown
Relevant experience: Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator
Steelers fit: After working under Sean McVay with the Rams for three seasons, the 37-year-old Brown took his first coordinator job with Frank Reich’s Panthers in 2023. Though that coaching staff quickly fell apart, Reich turned over playcalling duties to Brown in October. Though 2023 No. 1 pick Bryce Young had a disappointing rookie season and the offense averaged a league-worst 13.9 points per game, Brown helped Young turn in two winning performances late in the season. Those closest to Brown see Tomlin-like leadership and personality qualities in the rising star, and he’s already interviewed for several head-coaching openings in the last two hiring cycles.
Klint Kubiak
Relevant experience: San Francisco 49ers pass game specialist, Denver Broncos pass game coordinator/quarterbacks coach, Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator
Steelers fit: At 36, Kubiak is one of the youngest names on this list, but he has plenty of experience and has top-tier coaching lineage. After taking over OC duties from his father Gary Kubiak under Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota, Klint Kubiak went to Denver and eventually assumed playcalling duties late in the season. After new coach Sean Payton cleaned house, Kubiak landed in San Francisco under Kyle Shanahan.
Along with Mike Shanahan, Gary Kubiak created an offense predicated on play-action, quick passes and a strong ground attack. Some of the league’s most consistent offenses in San Francisco, Minnesota, Houston, Miami and Cleveland use versions of that offense. A product of that coaching — and family — tree, Klint Kubiak could help the Steelers utilize all of their offensive weapons and get the most out of Pickett by using more play-action. The 49ers are playing in the conference championship, so the Steelers have until Jan. 27 to interview him or can wait until after the NFC Championship Game if the 49ers lose. Should Kubiak’s team reach the Super Bowl, he won’t be available for interviews until after Feb. 11.
Darrell Bevell
Relevant experience: Miami Dolphins pass game coordinator, quarterbacks coach
Steelers fit: A 27-year NFL veteran, Bevell has experience as an offensive coordinator with four NFL teams, including stints as the interim head coach of Detroit and Jacksonville. Most recently, Bevell aided the development of quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Tua Tagovailoa. In Seattle and Minnesota, he worked with All-Pro running backs Marshawn Lynch and Adrian Peterson. Bevell’s experience coupled with versatile background developing both running backs and quarterbacks could be just what the Steelers need to maximize Pickett and Harris.
Alex Van Pelt
Relevant experience: Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator, Cincinnati Bengals quarterbacks coach
Steelers fit: Recently fired by the Browns, Van Pelt has experience as an offensive coordinator and helped the Browns to one of the most dominant rushing attacks over the last three seasons. Though head coach Kevin Stefanski was the primary playcaller, Van Pelt has been in the NFL since 2006 in various roles. With Van Pelt’s help, the Browns had a top-5 ground game in three of his four seasons, and he could help the Steelers establish a more consistent ground game, while also tutoring Pickett. Plus, Van Pelt has Pittsburgh ties as a native of the city, a former Pitt quarterback and an eighth-round Steelers draft pick in 1993 before being released in training camp.
Arthur Smith
Relevant experience: Atlanta Falcons head coach, Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator
Steelers fit: Smith was fired by Falcons owner Arthur Blank after a disappointing season, but Smith is still considered an innovative offensive mind. His usage of first-rounders Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts was often head-scratching, and he struggled to manage a hodgepodge quarterback room. But working with Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry, Jonnu Smith and A.J. Brown as the Titans’ offensive coordinator, Smith’s offense scored 24.9 points per game in 2019 and 29.6 in 2020.
Ken Dorsey
Relevant experience: Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach
Steelers fit: The Bills fired Dorsey midway through the 2023 season after a 5-5 start, but he was still instrumental in the development of Josh Allen as a dual-threat quarterback and helped the offense average 27.7 points per game in 2022. Dorsey, though, was criticized for predictable playcalling in the weeks leading up to his dismissal — something that was often a critique of the Steelers’ plays under Canada.
Luke Getsy
Relevant experience: Chicago Bears offensive coordinator
Steelers fit: Unlike the other candidates who check all of the boxes of Tomlin’s OC criteria, Getsy’s offenses were underperforming. The Bears’ offense ranked 23rd in 2022 and 19th in 2023, but Chicago’s ground game flourished in those years. The Bears averaged a league-leading 177 yards per game in 2022 and ranked second in 2023 with 141.1 yards per game. Though an undeniably talented and versatile quarterback, Justin Fields hardly flourished in Getsy’s system, and he didn’t show significant development in an offense that averaged 5.0 yards per play in 2023. Plus, Getsy has a background in the Shanahan system after spending time under Matt LaFleur in Green Bay, and he’s a Pittsburgh-area native who briefly played for and coached at Pitt. Getsy could have the perfect combination of experience, pedigree and familiarity to be the Steelers’ next OC hire.
Checks some of the boxes
Zac Robinson
Relevant experience: L.A. Rams pass game coordinator/quarterbacks coach
Steelers fit: Robinson doesn’t have the offensive coordinator experience Tomlin said he wants in candidates, but Robinson is a rising candidate this coaching cycle with his experience learning under Sean McVay throughout the last five seasons. Plus, as an Oklahoma State product, Robinson has a relationship with fellow Cowboy alum Mason Rudolph and could help bring him back if the Steelers are serious about retaining the veteran quarterback.
Joe Bleymaier
Relevant experience: Kansas City Chiefs pass game coordinator
Steelers fit: Bleymaier has eight years of experience in the NFL, all of them in Kansas City. He took on the passing game coordinator role in 2023 after two seasons as the team’s wide receivers coach, and Andy Reid previously credited Bleymaier with developing some of the innovative concepts used in the Chiefs’ offense.
Shea Tierney
Relevant experience: N.Y. Giants QB coach, 2024 Senior Bowl OC
Steelers fit: A Philadelphia native, Tierney has been in the NFL since 2018, first as an offensive assistant and assistant quarterbacks coach with the Buffalo Bills and then as the Giants’ quarterbacks coach since 2022. Recently tabbed as an offensive coordinator for the Senior Bowl, Tierney is considered a candidate on the rise for coordinator jobs around the league thanks to his development of Daniel Jones.
Chris O’Hara
Relevant experience: Minnesota Vikings QB coach
Steelers fit: A 14-year NFL veteran, O’Hara hails from the McVay tree and has been with the Vikings the past two seasons, primarily working with the quarterbacks. As the quarterbacks coach in 2022, O’Hara helped Kirk Cousins throw for more than 4,400 yards, and he managed the Vikings’ quarterback carousel following Cousins’ torn Achilles this season.