With his lawsuit against the league and multiple NFL teams, it seemed unlikely Brian Flores would be coaching in 2022. But the Steelers aren’t worried about what is happening off the field. Asked about the decision to hire Flores, Kevin Colbert told reporters it was a hire to help improve the team.
Here’s what Colbert said via this tweet from ESPN’s Brooke Pryor.
“It says that we hired a quality defensive coach that can maybe help us win games. There’s nothing else to say.”
A similar statement to what Mike Tomlin said when the Steelers announced the hire Saturday afternoon. Here is Tomlin’s commentary.
“I am excited about Brian Flores joining our coaching staff given his history of developing and teaching defensive players during his time in the NFL. Brian’s resume speaks for itself, and I look forward to him adding his expertise to help our team.”
Flores was officially announced as the team’s Senior Defensive Assistant/Linebackers Coach.
Flores was hired as the Miami Dolphins’ head coach after the 2021 season. He turned the team around from a 1-7 start to a 9-8 season finish, narrowly missing out on the playoffs. Reportedly, there was in-fighting between Flores and GM Chris Grier with owner Stephen Ross keeping Grier over Flores.
Since, Flores has filed suit against the Dolphins, alleging Ross promised him $100,000 for every loss the team had in 2019. Flores has also filed suit against the NFL for racial discriminations in its hiring practices with similar allegations against the Denver Broncos, New York Giants, and Houston Texans. Flores was a finalist for the Houston Texans’ head coaching job this offseason but lost out to Lovie Smith.
On the field, Flores is regarded as a bright defensive mind coming from the Bill Belichick coaching tree. It’s unclear how long Flores will be with the Steelers. He’s certainly qualified to be a DC or HC again, but Pittsburgh has put together a strong defensive coaching staff for 2022. With an offense wading the waters of the post-Roethlisberger era, they’ll need a stingy defense to keep the team competitive.
