The concept of Eric Bieniemy joining the Pittsburgh Steelers as their pass game coordinator was put out by Alan Saunders of Steelers Now.
Through early draft selection, free agency, and possible trades, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been linked to a number of quarterbacks this offseason. That is to be expected given the quarterback performance of the squad in 2023. Surprisingly, however, the media has also connected the Steelers to a number of assistant coaches—including Eric Bieniemy—in staff speculations.
Alan Saunders of Steelers Now stated on February 5 that Bieniemy seems like the greatest option to take over as Pittsburgh’s next pass game coordinator.
After a mediocre season with the Washington Commanders, Bieniemy—once regarded as the best NFL offensive coordinator and a surefire possibility for head coach—has somewhat lost his luster, according to 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 All Steelers’ Noah Strackbein of SI.com revealed that the Steelers were interviewing prospects for a new offensive assistant position on the coaching staff, Saunders urged that the organization should give Bieniemy more thought.
reported February 3 that Zach Azzani, Charles London, and Tom Arth were being interviewed by the Steelers for the position of offensive coach.
In their respective 2023 championships with the Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Chargers, Arth and London had passing game coordinators. In 2023, Azzani was the wide receivers coach for the New York Jets.
Saunders’ assertion that Bieniemy is a stronger fit for Pittsburgh than any of the three coaches is hard to refute.
The Washington Commanders under Bieniemy ended 25th in points scored and 24th in total yards. However, Bieniemy’s tenure with the Kansas City Chiefs was significantly more fruitful.
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.
“One name on the market that will surely be linked to Pittsburgh is former Steelers wideout Hines Ward, who was replaced as head coach of the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas and was an offensive intern with the Steelers in 2017,” Clark wrote. “He also served as an offensive assistant for the New York Jets and wide receivers coach at FAU.”
Both Strackbein and Stephen Thompson of All Steelers Talk argued for the Steelers to hire Mike Vrabel on February 2.
“It’s a pretty one-way street there. If Mike Vrabel wants to come, the Steelers should want him to come,” Thompson said. “I don’t know how much an assistant like that would get paid or anything.
“But I think you almost write him a blank check and say, ‘Yeah, we’d love to have you here.’”
Furthermore, on February 4, Steelers Now’s Nick Farabaugh argued that the Steelers should consider hiring Pep Hamilton.
Clearly, there’s no shortage of coaches the media considers a candidate for Pittsburgh.
On February 5, the official X (formerly Twitter) account of Steelers Depot joked about that fact.
It appears that most people agree that the Steelers should employ a 53-man coaching staff.
