Rumors and speculation of Mike Tomlin’s time in Pittsburgh coming to an end have quieted down the last two weeks. The Steelers have rattled off two quality wins with a revived offense and gotten back into the thick of the playoff race. Tomlin has guaranteed himself his 17th-straight non-losing season, the third-longest streak of all-time, and the sports world has returned to status quo on how they view Tomlin: great coach, right man for the job.
Colin Cowherd has a different take. Is Tomlin a quality coach? Sure. Is he the guy to lead Pittsburgh to their next Super Bowl? No. That’s the case he made on Thursday’s episode of The Herd.
“They need somebody to take that toughness, an offensive coach, and elevate the offense,” Cowherd said. “Because they’ve become a bad offense. ”
Cowherd has made similar points about the Steelers before, criticizing them for signing OLB T.J. Watt and FS Minkah Fitzpatrick to mega-contracts and spending too much draft capital on defense. Even in a season where scoring is down, the top offenses are among football’s most successful teams. It’s been years since Pittsburgh’s been that group, set to mark the third-straight season the Steelers have finished in the 20s in scoring offense. And until Mason Rudolph brought new life to this group, they were on track to have their worst output in 50 years.
“Your team has plateaued,” Cowherd said. “What you bring to the table, they no longer need. And your services would be great elsewhere. Nobody thinks Mike Tomlin is a lousy coach. But the NFL has pivoted to offense.”
Cowherd credited Tomlin for building up a culture and standard. Now that he’s done that, he says it’s time for Pittsburgh to pivot to someone with an offensive-minded background.
“Change is not a death sentence. Nor is it an indictment of your resume. Mike Tomlin will have arguments to get into the Hall of Fame,” Cowherd said. He is a tough alpha, builds a winning culture. But I could argue Ben Johnson to the Steelers would be perfect and Tomlin to the Raiders or the Chargers and Washington would be perfect.”
Johnson is the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator, and the Lions are on track to finish in the top-five in scoring offense each of the last two years. He figures to be the hottest head coaching name of this cycle after taking his name out of the running a year ago to remain in Detroit. But a place like Pittsburgh certainly would offer what Johnson wants, so long as the Steelers are willing to pay for it.
While Cowherd’s thought-exercise is worth exploring, the reality is Tomlin will return as Steelers’ head coach in 2024, likely with a contract extension entering the fall. There is pressure and expectations for him to win in the playoffs, something Pittsburgh hasn’t done since 2016, and the non-losing streak can only be repeated for so long before it becomes tiresome. The Steelers aren’t destined to have a bad offense just because Tomlin has a defensive upbringing. They’ve had plenty of high-powered attacks under his coaching in the past.
The key is to draft properly and make a strong offensive coordinator hire to boost that side of the ball while Tomlin can still serve as a leader and culture shaper. If the Steelers are ever able to combine both elements, that’s when they’ll compete for another Lombardi.
