Though it means little, and the Pittsburgh Steelers will cast a wide net for their next offensive coordinator, the betting markets are already predicting who will become the team’s next offensive coordinator.
Via Penn Starks and 93.7 The Fan’s Andrew Limberg, interim OC Eddie Faulkner and QBs Coach and new play caller Mike Sullivan top the charts with a 12.5 percent chance of permanently replacing the man they’re temporarily replacing in Matt Canada. As outlined by Mike Tomlin Tuesday, Faulkner will run the offensive room Monday through Saturday, organizing the coaching staff and preparing the week while Sullivan will call the plays on gamedays. Sullivan has experience as an NFL play caller having done so with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Giants.
Externally though, betting odds list Byron Leftwich with the best odds of any one name to become the team’s future coordinator. They gave him a 9.1 percent chance. He’s already been recommended by at least three former Steelers in Ben Roethlisberger (which came before Canada’s firing), Willie Colon, and Plaxico Burress. A former Steelers QB who spent four seasons with the team, Leftwich knows Tomlin well and they’re easy dots to connect.
Roethlisberger is given a 5.4 percent chance of being the team’s next offensive coordinator. And those odds should be much lower. Though it’s something many fans have called for, Roethlisberger has repeatedly expressed zero desire to coach at the NFL level, dismissing the notion every chance he’s gotten.
On Roethlisberger’s Footbahlin podcast last November, guest Bob Pompeani and Roethlisberger had a brief conversation about the possibility of him returning to the game as a coach. Here’s how it went.
“We get called all the time, people say ‘Put Ben, bring him in the booth be an offensive coordinator. He can call plays.’” Pompeani said mimicking callers. “And I answer for you saying there’s no way he would do that given the time commitment.”
Roethlisberger immediately agreed.
“Correct. No way.”
Don’t expect Roethlisberger to be anywhere near the Steelers’ sideline in 2024.
More realistic candidates include Dallas Cowboys QB Coach Scott Tolzien and Philadelphia Eagles QB Coach Alex Tanney at 6.2 percent. Both were backup quarterbacks in the NFL, Tanney bouncing around teams and appearing in two games, once with the Tennessee Titans in 2015 and again with the New York Giants in 2019. He threw 15 career passes with one touchdown. Tolzien split his time between the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts, making four career starts. One of them came against Pittsburgh in 2016, Tolzien going 22-of-36 for 205 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in a 28-7 loss. Both coaches have worked well with Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott respectively and quarterbacks coaches are the most common position coach to be promoted to offensive coordinator.
The largest chunk of odds goes to “other” at 33.3 percent. Call that “the field” and the endless list of names that can and will be suggested in future days and months.
Pittsburgh will be in no hurry to hire a permanent offensive coordinator, but one figures to be named before the end of January. For what it’s worth, Canada’s promotion to offensive coordinator was announced on Jan. 15, 2021.
