Now that we know that Kirby Wilson will not be back as the Pittsburgh Steelers running backs coach in 2014, we can all throw out some names of coaches that might possibly be considered candidates to replace him.
Bobby Turner – Turner was the assistant head coach and running backs coach with the Washington Redskins from 2010-13. Prior to that, he coached the Denver Broncos running backs for 15 seasons. He has coached seven different backs to 1,000 yard seasons on 12 different occasions and that list includes Terrell Davis, Olandis Gary, Mike Anderson, Clinton Portis, Reuben Droughns, Mike Anderson, Tatum Bell and Alfred Morris.
Earnest Byner – There are reports out there that Byner might be hired by the Redskins after coaching the last two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Byner played 14 seasons in the NFL and finished his career with 13,442 all-purpose yards and 72 total touchdowns. He also coached for the Tennessee Titans for two seasons from 2008-2009, so he has worked with new Steelers offensive line coach Mike Munchak before.
Chick Harris – Harris was recently let go by the Houston Texans after coaching their running backs for 12 seasons. He has a long coaching history and has mentored eight running backs who have eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in a season a collective 15 times as he also coached the Carolina Panthers running backs from 1995-2001.
Maurice Carthon – Like Byner, Carthon is also a former NFL running back. In addition, he was the running backs coach of the Kansas City Chiefs when Steelers current offensive coordinator Todd Haley was the head coach there. Prior to that, Carthon was the Arizona Cardinals running backs coach when Haley was the offensive coordinator there.
James Saxon – Saxon was the Minnesota Vikings running backs coach for the last two seasons and that of course means he has worked with Adrian Peterson. He has a long history of coaching running backs in the NFL dating back to 1988.
Feel free to list your own potential candidates below and discuss the names I have listed above as well.
