With Jim Caldwell landing in Baltimore, we know he won’t be the next Steelers offensive coordinator.
One man who could wind up landing that job is former Chiefs head coach Todd Haley. Jason La Canfora of the NFL Network reports that Mike Tomlin has been reaching out around the league to gather information about Haley, who has been linked to jobs with the Cardinals and Jets this offseason without landing in either place. The Steelers parted ways with Bruce Arians, now running the Colts offense, earlier this month.
Arians’ departure reportedly rankled quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who said that he wanted to meet with team president Art Rooney II to discuss where the offense was heading and, possibly, lobby for quarterback coach Randy Fichtner’s promotion. Part of the thought process behind Fichtner is that he would maintain the passing offense that the Steelers have been using for the last several years.
Based on his experience running the Cardinals offense, Haley has no problem putting the ball in the air. His Chiefs teams were more run-focused, but the personnel demanded they move in that direction. The personnel in Pittsburgh and the general trends in the NFL would seem to make throwing the ball a priority, something that Haley could do while keeping Fichtner on the staff in the same role.
Another plus for the tradition conscious Steelers is the fact that Haley’s father Dick was the team’s player personnel director from 1971-1990. He’s credited with playing a major role in assembling the rosters that won the first four Super Bowls in Steelers history.