The Pittsburgh Steelers will have a new quarterback in 2022—they’re not even sure which one it will be, yet. They have a new general manager, as well, amongst other changes. The defensive coaching staff was shaken up as well, with Teryl Austin promoted to defensive coordinator with Keith Butler’s retirement, and Brian Flores hired as a senior defensive assistant.
While Flores, the former head coach of the Miami Dolphins, talked earlier this offseason about doing work with the outside linebackers, however, it was always understood that his role would be multifaceted. That’s the same thing that Austin told reporters about his new peer earlier this offseason, via Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
“When you have a guy — I equate it a player — you use those talents, not try to harness it and keep him in one spot”, he said of Flores, referring to his ability to contribute in many different areas. “[Flores has] been doing a lot of things for us — working with the linebackers, working with the secondary because he brings a wealth of knowledge and you don’t want to stifle that. I’m excited about it. We’ll see how we use him going forward, but I know it will be a help”.
The Steelers’ decision to hire Flores has been much discussed already, in no small part due to the fact that he is currently suing the National Football League and several of its constituent teams. It expanded into a class-action lawsuit that also includes Ray Horton and Hue Jackson as plaintiffs, with the possibility of others being added in time.
Of course, the other reason it has been discussed so much is because he is widely regarded as overqualified for the role he is currently in—including by those around him in the Steelers’ locker room and coaching staff.
He has gained a great deal of respect around the league for what he has done over the years, particularly seemingly doing a lot with a little during the past three seasons leading a Dolphins team that, how shall we say this, was unstaffed with talent, and overstaffed with an ownership that had an interest in losing.
Flores’ official title with the Steelers is Senior Defensive Assistant/Linebackers, but there isn’t much he hasn’t done since entering the NFL. He started off in the scouting department for Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots and wore many different hats under the great head coach’s tutelage.
Head coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers regard his presence as a great asset, even a luxury, and it will reveal itself over time how best to utilize the resource that he is for this team. It’s fair to say that he’s not just going to be an outside linebackers coach. That’s not even in doubt. The biggest question, really, is how long his tenure in Pittsburgh will be. Will he be gone by 2023, off to a head coaching job elsewhere?
