Will the Steelers fill the coaching position previously held by Brian Flores?

Feb 8, 2023 - 12:00 PM

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Monday afternoon news broke of Brian Flores finally making his decision on where he will coach in 2023. After several interviews, and some even for a head coaching position, Flores decided to go to the Minnesota Vikings to be their next defensive coordinator.

For those who don’t know, Flores only staying one year with the Pittsburgh Steelers means the team will no be receiving any draft compensation for having one of their coaches be promoted. For that to take place a coach needs to be with an organization for at least two seasons.

Nonetheless, a question which is worth pondering is if the Steelers will be filling the coaching position now vacated by Flores?

Before going into that topic, it is worth noting how prior to the 2022 regular season the Steelers had one of the smallest coaching staffs in the NFL. Pittsburgh and Las Vegas were the only two teams with just 18 coaches on staff. While some might think the team now has 17 coaches, they actually have 16 considering this is the second coach they’ve lost this offseason. The first coach lost was Assistant Wide Receivers coach Blaine Stewart who left the Steelers to return to where his dad once coach, West Virginia University.

While Stewart’s loss wasn’t a huge loss for the coaching staff, it was still a coach who is not returning. Therefore, the Steelers now have 16 coaches on their coaching staff at this stage of the offseason.

When you consider the thought of any NFL franchise having just 16 coaches for a 90-man offseason roster, it would become a daunting task for even the best coaches. Logic would tell you, the fan, the Steelers would have to add to their coaching staff to help bolster the group which has now been reduced even further.

It is unknown why the Steelers don’t have a larger coaching staff. Is it Mike Tomlin wanting to keep his coaching staff smaller and tight knit? Is it Art Rooney II not wanting to pay a large staff of coaches?

No one knows for sure, and while the organization might not hire a Senior Defensive Assistant, the title Flores had while with the team in 2022, the thought of adding to the coaching ranks seems inevitable.

But what do you think? Do you believe the Steelers should add to their coaching staff? Or are they find doing what they’ve been doing? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below, and be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the team this offseason.

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For more information on Flores joining the Minnesota Vikings coaching staff and the Steelers coaching staff, check out the new 5-minute Steelers Update podcast in the player below: