‘New Fresh Approach’: Steelers Explain Why They’re Focusing On External Coordinator Hire

Though it’s not known who will be the Pittsburgh Steelers’ next offensive coordinator, we know where they’ll come from. After years of internal promotions, the Steelers will hire someone on the outside. In a 1v1 interview with Rob King for the team website, owner and Team President Art Rooney II explained why their focus is solely on external candidates. 

“We saw a little bit of success at the end of the season,” Rooney told King. “But overall, if you look back at the last couple of years, we just haven’t had the kind of offensive production that we need to see. And so I think that’s probably the major reason why we’re gonna look outside to bring in some new fresh approach to it.”

Pittsburgh made the unprecedented move of firing a coordinator mid-season, dismissing Matt Canada following a listless 13-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 11. Canada’s tenure didn’t produce results, finishing in the 20s in scoring throughout his entire tenure and failing to advance the Steelers’ offense in 2023, a year with high expectations. The Steelers finished out the season with Eddie Faulkner as Interim Offensive Coordinator and Mike Sullivan as the gameday play caller.

To Rooney’s point, the Steelers have had just one offense finish above average in the last five years, a 12th-place finish in 2020. They haven’t been in the top ten since 2018 and not in the top five since 2015. They’ve also finished with a negative point differential the last three years despite a defense generally able to keep the score down, finishing sixth in points allowed in 2023.

During his year-end press conference, Mike Tomlin explicitly stated the team wouldn’t consider Faulkner or Sullivan for the permanent position. This is a departure from their usual approach, with five of their last six hires coming internally, Todd Haley the lone exception. But it’s logical to bring someone in from the outside to jump-start a flailing offense in a critical 2024 for the Steelers, looking to break a playoff drought clearly bothering Rooney. 

So far, the Steelers have interviewed three coordinator candidates. Former Carolina Panthers’ OC Thomas Brown, Houston Texans QB Coach Jerrod Johnson, and ex-Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith. Smith appears to be the favorite of the three, but the Steelers may interview one or two more candidates before making a hire, likely in the next two weeks.