The Pittsburgh Steelers are still in the midst of their offensive coordinator search. There have only been two officially confirmed interviews: former Carolina Panthers OC Thomas Brown and Houston Texans QB coach Jerrod Johnson. They also reportedly had an interview slip in for Los Angeles Rams pass-game coordinator Zac Robinson, but he has since signed with the Atlanta Falcons to be their offensive coordinator.
Johnson has also been a hot name this hiring cycle with a number of teams eyeing the QB coach who worked with rookie standout C.J. Stroud. Most recently, Ian Rapoport posted in a coaching news roundup on NFL.com that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have requested an interview with Johnson. Greg Auman of The Athletic confirmed on X that it was just an interview request at this time. They also requested to interview former Steelers WR Antwaan Randle El, who is currently the WR coach for the Detroit Lions.
Multiple OC hires have already taken place around the league, and other teams have been much more active than the Steelers in casting a wide net early in the process. The Buccaneers have already reportedly expressed interest in Ken Dorsey and Brian Johnson. Their OC spot opened up following Dave Canales being hired as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers.
Johnson was a quarterback in the NFL and spent a brief stint in the offseason with the Steelers in 2012. He made the jump to coaching in 2017 and has spent time with the San Francisco 49ers, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, and Houston Texans. In 2023, he helped Stroud to a historic rookie season for a quarterback. The Texans won their division and made the playoffs with a 10-7 record, just one season after they went 3-13-1. Stroud threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns as a rookie. The Steelers need an OC and possibly a QB coach with Mike Sullivan reportedly receiving multiple interviews around the league.
With the state of the Steelers’ quarterbacks room, they could use a coordinator with a track record of developing successful quarterbacks, and Johnson has worked with Stroud and Kirk Cousins in Minnesota.
