The Steelers have landed on a choice for their special teams coordinator vacancy. Danny Crossman is expected to be hired, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Pittsburgh lost longtime STC Danny Smith last month when he took the same position in Tampa Bay. The team has searched for a replacement ever since, with an interview request recently being submitted for Bubba Ventrone (who ultimately joined the Rams). The Steelers also spoke with Matthew Smiley as part of their interview process.
In the end, it will be Crossman taking charge of Pittsburgh’s special teams. He will bring considerable experience to the position. Crossman entered the NFL coaching ranks with the Panthers in 2003. He was eventually promoted to special teams coordinator in 2007, a role he held in Carolina for three years. That was followed by multi-year stints in Detroit and Buffalo in the same capacity.
Crossman joined the Dolphins’ staff in 2019 as special teams coordinator. The 59-year-old took on the additional title of assistant head coach for 2021, but that only wound up lasting one season. Once head coach Mike McDaniel arrived in 2022, Crossman returned to the role of special teams coordinator, remaining in Miami for another two years. After one season out of coaching, he will join Mike McCarthy for the coming season.
The Steelers have undergone a number of changes on the sidelines recently, highlighted of course by Mike Tomlin‘s resignation. A new defensive coordinator (Patrick Graham) is now in place, and the Crossman hire will fill another important vacancy. Attention for McCarthy and Co. will increasingly turn toward replacing Arthur Smith at the offensive coordinator spot as the hiring cycle continues to play out.
Scott Tolzien from the Saints will be the new OC.
McCarthy seems to have liked STC who were unemployed last year