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Where should the Steelers add coaches for the 2023 season?

With room on the coaching staff still available, where would it benefit the Steelers most to add another coach?

NFL: DEC 04 Steelers at Falcons Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

“Many hands make light work.”

“There are too many cooks in the kitchen.”

Both of these sayings can be true given the situation. But the delicate balance between them is what ultimately makes things work out the best.

When it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers coaching staff, they generally stick to the “too many cooks in the kitchen” approach as they are generally one of the smallest coaching staffs in the NFL. In 2022, the Steelers total of 18 coaches was tied for the fewest along with the Las Vegas Raiders. Now that the Steelers have lost three coaches from last season, how many will they add for 2023?

While some people may think it is a done deal, at the time of writing this article it has only been reported that the Steelers have added another linebacker coach. Although I’m confident this will come through, it is the only coaching hire the Steelers have made in the 2023 offseason. It is important to note that the Steelers have not announced this, so until that occurs Aaron Curry is not counted as an official coach just yet.

Before looking at where the Steelers should add a coach, let’s review what was lost in this offseason:

Blaine Stewart – assistant wide receiver coach
Brian Flores – senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach
John Mitchell – assistant head coach

It has been reported the Steelers are set to hire Aaron Curry as a linebacker coach. If any additional title will come along with the position it has yet to be determined and will be more clear once the Steelers make the announcement if everything gets finalized.

If we assume an outside linebacker coach is crossed off the list, the coaching positions the Steelers lost are:

  • Assistant wide receiver coach
  • Senior defensive assistant coach
  • Assistant head coach

All three of these positions are ones the Steelers do not necessarily have to fill with someone in that specific role. If Steelers brought on another offenses assistant of some sort, part of their role could be to help with the wide receivers. Would the Steelers hire someone specifically to just be the assistant head coach or would they have other responsibilities? Do the Steelers need a senior defensive assistant coach even though they have had one for the last several years?

Are there other coaching positions that would benefit the Steelers more than the titles they currently have open? For one, I am highly in favor of the Steelers hiring a passing game coordinator for the offense. Whether that coach could also double as an assistant wide receiver coach or even be the assistant head coach, it wouldn’t matter to me. The key is the Steelers could really use some more help in that department when it comes to their passing game.

Another area is if the Steelers need another coach in the defensive secondary. If Teryl Austin is going to need to hone in more with his responsibilities at defensive coordinator, should he take a step back in the secondary with another coach helping out? I’m not saying that I feel the Steelers should do this, but it is another option moving forward.

One thing I do believe the Steelers should do is hire at least two more coaches. The last thing I want to do is this Steelers to go into the season with an even smaller coaching staff than in 2022. If they end up with only 16 or 17 coaches this season, I think a lot of Steelers fans would be frustrated with the situation.

So what do you think? Where should the Steelers add to their coaching staff for the 2023 season? Make sure you leave your thoughts in the comments below.