Following another disappointing season in Pittsburgh, Mike Tomlin acknowledged in his end-of-season press conference that changes would likely be coming on “a lot of levels” for the Steelers. Yet here we are almost a full week later, and not a single thing has changed. Reports indicate that Tomlin is safe, and some team insiders aren’t convinced that the Steelers will change any of their coordinators either.
Adam Schefter gave his read on the situation via The Pat McAfee Show this afternoon.
“The offseason is young, let’s give this some time,” Schefter said. “I don’t know exactly what they’re gonna do, but the head coach himself said what he said. I mean, I just think he was speaking in a general term. I’m not expecting major changes. Like what do we think is gonna happen? I think it’s typical of any roster in any given year. Turns over however much it does, there are some changes on the coaching staff. I don’t know that it’s gonna be any more dramatic in Pittsburgh than it is anywhere else.”
There are several teams that have fired their head coach and their general manager, or at least one of the two. The Steelers don’t appear to be considering either, so their changes are less dramatic by default than about a quarter of the league. It’s fair to wonder if the Steelers are any closer to competing than some of those teams that are undergoing wholesale changes. Certainly there are more fans than ever who are clamoring for a change from the Steelers’ typical way of doing things.
Will either of the coordinators go? The only path for a replacement at offensive coordinator is if Arthur Smith gets the head coaching gig with the New York Jets. The Chicago Bears seem to have narrowed their list to two others.
As for Teryl Austin, there’s a debate how much his replacement would change anything with Tomlin’s fingerprints all over the defense. As for position coaches, several of them could be replaced, but the Steelers typically avoid firing coaches and prefer to replace them when their contracts expire. That would rule out a prime candidate like OL coach Pat Meyer, who signed a two-year extension last offseason.
There will definitely be at least a few position coaches to go, and then the biggest possible change is how the Steelers plan to move forward at quarterback. Could they also add to their coaching staff? It’s one of the smallest in the league, and it wouldn’t hurt to add some senior assistants who have a little sway in the building.
Team insiders have said it, and now the biggest national insider is saying it. There probably won’t be as many changes for the Steelers as many were expecting given the disastrous ending to the 2024 season.
