For the third season, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero created an exhaustive list of up-and-coming potential future NFL head coaches. An initial list of 22 names that could be discussed in the 2025 cycle with another CVS-list of names for 2026 and beyond. A real who’s-who of budding stars serving as assistants on current coaching staffs. Of the 119 names he suggested, zero are on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ staff.
Pelissero said the list was created from “dozens of recent conversations with NFL executives, coaches and others close to the search process.” So those in the know.
Frankly, it’s not a shock. The Steelers don’t have any obvious names. The clearest one is OC Arthur Smith. While he’s still in his early 40s, Pelissero’s list didn’t include former head coaches like Smith, who ran the Falcons from 2021-2023. But if he maintains Pittsburgh’s success, Smith’s name could be part of the 2025 hiring cycle.
Beyond him, there’s no obvious rising star. Offensively, QBs coach Tom Arth has limited NFL experience. He has a head-coaching background, a long-time college coach at John Carroll, his alma mater, and perhaps he’ll receive coordinator looks given the turnarounds Justin Fields and Russell Wilson have enjoyed. But he’s far off the head-coach radar.
RBs Coach Eddie Faulkner would be a worthy suggestion. Like Arth, he was once a college head coach though for a far briefer time. Faulkner served as Ball State’s interim head coach for a few months in 2010. Any NFL head coaching aspirations Faulkner might have had were hurt when he was passed over for the Steelers’ coordinator job, not even interviewed despite serving as interim OC last year.
Defensively, DBs Coach Grady Brown has received buzz in recent years. A young coach who has done a nice job with the Steelers’ secondary. Juggling the injuries of last year while also developing the likes of CBs Joey Porter Jr. and Beanie Bishop Jr. But Brown’s next step will be coordinator, not head coach, though Pelissero still could’ve listed his name for down the road. Adding LBs Coach Aaron Curry also would’ve made sense, a solid hire and replacement for Brian Flores.
Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin isn’t young and the window for him becoming a head coach has likely closed after he was a candidate about a decade ago. However, Pelissero at least mentioned Austin’s name in a bucket of veteran assistants “waiting for their first shots.”
Historically, Mike Tomlin’s coaching tree has few branches. Harold Goodwin and Scottie Montgomery are among the most notable, but few have been molded and gone on to become household names elsewhere. How important that is to a head coach varies. On one hand, it shows the ability to identify coaching talent, develop them, and have teams think highly enough to hire them away. On the other hand, if the Steelers win, then a coaching tree is irrelevant. Bill Belichick’s disciples rarely had success, and it didn’t seem to bother New England as it raised Lombardi Trophies.
Notable names who made Pelissero’s list include Detroit Lions OC Ben Johnson and Los Angeles Chargers DC Jesse Minter. The closest the Steelers came was former QB Jerrod Johnson, now the Houston Texans QB coach, and Spencer Whipple. Son of former Steelers QBs coach Mark Whipple, Spencer is the Arizona Cardinals’ pass-game specialist.
Where Pittsburgh has some rising names is in the front office. Assistant GM Andy Weidl could land a head general manager gig soon enough. His name is already being mentioned in connection with the New York Jets’ opening. Senior assistant Quentin Harris and director of pro scouting Sheldon White are two others to consider.
