The Pittsburgh Steelers have been connected to lots of different quarterbacks through potential trades, free agency and the draft early this offseason. That’s to be expected based on the team’s production at quarterback in 2023. But more surprisingly, the media has also linked the Steelers to numerous assistant coaches in staff rumors, including Eric Bieniemy.
Steelers Now’s Alan Saunders argued on February 5 that Bieniemy appears to be the best possible candidate to be Pittsburgh’s new pass game coordinator.
“Once considered the top of the crop of NFL offensive coordinators and a sure-fire head coach prospect, Bieniemy’s star has lost some of its shine after a middling season with the Washington Commanders,” wrote Saunders.
However, he undoubtedly possesses the passing game know-how to assist Arthur Smith in creating a more formidable squad on that side of the ball. Why not select a former assistant of the player who is playing in the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five years, particularly one with ties to Mike Tomlin, given the amount of discussion about the Steelers’ potential to mine the coaching tree of Kyle Shanahan or Sean McVay?
Two days after SI.com’s All Steelers’ Noah Strackbein revealed that the Steelers were going to interview prospects for a new offensive assistant position on the team’s coaching staff, Saunders claimed that the Steelers should give Bieniemy some thought.
Should the Steelers Hire Eric Bieniemy as Pass Game Coordinator?
Strackbein reported on February 3 that the Steelers were interviewing Tom Arth, Charles London and Zach Azzani for its offensive coaching staff.
Arth and London had passing game coordinator in their 2023 titles with the Los Angeles Chargers and Tennessee Titans, respectively. Azzani served as New York Jets wide receivers coach in 2023.
It’s difficult to argue, though, with Saunders’ suggestion that Bieniemy is a better candidate for Pittsburgh than any of those three coaches.
Under Bieniemy, the Washington Commanders finished 24th in total yards and 25th in points scored during. But Bieniemy was far more successful with the Kansas City Chiefs.
From 2018 to 22, Bieniemy guided Kansas City to top 6 finishes in yards and points per year while serving as the Chiefs offensive coordinator.
The fact that Bieniemy had Patrick Mahomes as quarterback for Kansas City undoubtedly helped. Andy Reid, the head coach, called plays as well.
Bieniemy’s connection to the Chiefs, however, may prove invaluable to a Steelers offensive hoping to improve its passing game dramatically in 2024.
Bieniemy has coached in the NFL for 16 years. Ten of those seasons were spent in Kansas City working as Reid’s assistant.
Bieniemy became the offensive coordinator in 2017 after serving as the Chiefs’ running backs coach from 2013 to 2017.
Other Assistants the Steelers Could Consider
Saunders didn’t stop at Bieniemy. He also suggested Hines Ward for the team’s open wide receiver position and Mike Vrabel for a senior defensive assistant role.
Saunders isn’t the first to float the Steelers as a landing spot for either coach. Steelers Depot’s Joe Clark and AtoZ Sports’ Rob Gregson both connected Ward to the Steelers after The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac reported on February 5 that the team was not retaining wide receivers coach Frisman Jackson.
Former Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, who was an offensive intern with the team in 2017 and was recently named head coach of the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas, is one name on the market that will undoubtedly be connected to Pittsburgh, according to Clark. “He was the wide receivers coach at FAU as well as an offensive assistant for the New York Jets.”
On February 2, Strackbein and Stephen Thompson of All Steelers Talk both made the case for Mike Vrabel’s hiring by the Steelers.
There, it seems to be a one-way street. The Steelers ought to want Mike Vrabel to attend if he so chooses, Thompson stated. “I have no idea how much money that kind of assistant would make or anything.
However, I believe you almost give him a blank check and tell him, “Yes, we’d be delighted to have you here.”
Moreover, Nick Farabaugh of Steelers Now stated on February 4 that the Steelers ought to think about bringing Pep Hamilton on board.
There are obviously plenty of coaches that the media is considering for Pittsburgh.
On February 5, the official X (formerly Twitter) account of Steelers Depot joked about that fact.
It appears that everyone agrees that the Steelers should employ a 53-man coaching staff.
To be fair, the Steelers have traditionally featured one of the smallest coaching staffs in the NFL. The team is overdue for staff expansion.
Whether it should happen with big-named additions, though, is another debate.
