Steelers Hire Brian Flores As LBs Coach
Less than a month after filing a lawsuit against the NFL and four of its teams, Brian Flores has landed a job. The Steelers announced Saturday they added the former Dolphins head coach to their staff.
Flores will serve as a senior defensive assistant on Mike Tomlin‘s staff, heading up the team’s linebacking corps. Prior to going to Miami in 2019, Flores finished his lengthy New England tenure as the Patriots’ linebackers coach.
“I am excited about Brian Flores joining our coaching staff given his history of developing and teaching defensive players during his time in the NFL,” Tomlin said. “Brian’s resume speaks for itself, and I look forward to him adding his expertise to help our team.”
Flores is not dropping his suit against the NFL, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Not long after the Giants hired Brian Daboll, Flores filed his racial discrimination suit. The NFL is investigating the Dolphins as a result of Flores’ claim that owner Stephen Ross offered him six-figure bonus payments for losses in 2019. Flores also named the Broncos and Texans in his explosive suit. All four organizations have denied Flores’ accusations.
The three-year Miami HC and 15-year New England assistant was not on Pittsburgh’s interview list for its recently filled defensive coordinator position. The team promoted Teryl Austin to its DC post last month. The Steelers, who are coming off their fifth straight season leading the NFL in sacks, will now feature one of the more experienced defensive staffs in modern NFL history. Flores went 24-25 as Dolphins HC but led the team to back-to-back winning seasons to close out his tenure. The Dolphins have since replaced him with former 49ers OC Mike McDaniel.
The Bears, Giants, Saints and Texans each interviewed Flores for their HC jobs during this cycle, one that came after the Dolphins surprisingly cut his tenure short hours after the team finished a rare sweep of the Patriots. Despite Flores’ lawsuit, the Texans included him among the finalists for their HC position. The team, however, went with an off-the-board hire by announcing Lovie Smith‘s promotion. Flores soon included the Texans as the fourth team in his suit.
This move will also reunite Flores with Minkah Fitzpatrick, whom the Dolphins traded early in the 2019 season. Miami drafted Fitzpatrick in the 2018 first round, prior to Flores’ arrival, and the talented safety clashed with Flores and his staff a year and change into his career. One season remains on the All-Pro defender’s deal, though the Steelers can be expected to extend him this year. The Steelers will also face the Dolphins next season.
Steelers Interview Dan Morgan For GM Job
In place as the Panthers’ assistant general manager for less than a year, Dan Morgan is already attracting interest for GM jobs. The Steelers interviewed him for their soon-to-be vacant role recently.
The former Panthers linebacker has worked his way up the chain to the point GM interest is logical. He was the Seahawks’ director of pro personnel and spent three years (2018-20) as the Bills’ player personnel director.
Morgan, 43, is now working as Scott Fitterer‘s right-hand man in Carolina. Although Morgan played high school and college football in Florida, starring as a Miami Hurricane, he is a Pennsylvania native, having grown up in a Philadelphia suburb. The former first-round pick played seven seasons with Carolina. He spent time with the Saints in 2009 and was working as a scout the following year, transitioning quickly to the executive side.
The Steelers are looking to replace Kevin Colbert, who intends to step down from his post after the draft. The team also announced it has finished interviews with Buccaneers VP of player personnel John Spytek, Packers co-player personnel director John Wojciechowski and Colts college scouting director Morocco Brown.
Here is how the Steelers’ search looks thus far, courtesy of PFR’s GM search tracker:
- Morocco Brown, college scouting director (Colts): Interviewed
- Ryan Cowden, vice president of player personnel (Titans): Interviewed 2/4
- Ed Dodds, assistant general manager (Colts): Interviewed 2/4
- Omar Khan, vice president of football and business administration (Steelers): Mentioned as candidate
- Dan Morgan, assistant general manager (Panthers): Interviewed
- Louis Riddick, former director of pro personnel (Eagles): Interview scheduled
- John Spytek, director of player personnel (Buccaneers): Interviewed
- John Wojciechowski, co-director of player personnel (Packers): Interviewed
- JoJo Wooden, director of player personnel (Chargers): Interviewed by 2/4
AFC Coaching Notes: Chargers, Steelers, Jaguars
Al Golden is leaving Cincinnati after all. The Bengals coach is joining Notre Dame as their new defensive coordinator, reports ESPN’s Pete Thamel (on Twitter). Golden is inking a three-year deal with the school.
The 52-year-old had spent the past two seasons with the Bengals as the team’s linebackers coach. Following a successful 2021 season, Golden was expected to ink a new deal with Cincy. Instead, he’ll be heading back to the college ranks.
Golden spent almost two decades in the NCAA, including stints as head coach at Temple and Miami. He joined the NFL in 2016 when he was hired as the Lions tight ends coach, and he eventually switched over to the defensive side of the ball in 2018.
More coaching notes out of the AFC…
- The Chargers are looking to hire Brendan Nugent as their offensive line coach, as Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com passes along. Frank Smith left to become the Dolphins offensive coordinator, leaving a vacancy on the LAC staff. Nugent had spent the past seven years with the Saints, earning the promotion to OL coach in 2021.
- The Steelers have also been seeking a new OL coach, and Brooke Pryor of ESPN tweets that the team is hiring Pat Meyer for the role. Meyer spent the past two seasons as the Panthers offensive line coach, and he also served in that role with the Chargers. The 49-year-old has also had coaching stints with the Bills and Bears.
- Richard Angulo is heading south. The Ravens assistant offensive line coach is joining the Jaguars as their new tight ends coach, reports Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic (on Twitter). The former player had been coaching in Baltimore since 2014. Meanwhile, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets that the Jaguars have finalized deal with Deshea Townsend as defensive passing game coordinator/secondary coach. Before his three-year stint as the Bears secondary coach, Townsend had stints on the Giants and Titans coaching staffs.
- Nathaniel Hackett continues to add to his Broncos staff. According to Wilson (on Twitter), Denver has hired Ramon Chinyoung as an offensive quality control. Chinyoung had been serving as head football coach/athletic coordinator at Willowridge High in Houston. Meanwhile, the team announced (on Twitter) that they’ve hired Derek Haithcock as assistant to head coach (Dwight Schrute?) and John Vieira as instructional designer.
- The Colts are finalizing a deal with Richard Smith to be their new linebackers coach, reports Mike Chappell of FOX59/CBS4 Sports in Indy (on Twitter). Smith has had a long NFL coaching career that saw him serve as the defensive coordinator with the Dolphins, Falcons, and Texans. He’s also been on the coaching staffs for the Oilers, Broncos, 49ers, Lions, Panthers, Chargers, and Raiders.
- The Jets are adding Nathaniel Willingham as a defensive assistant, reports Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter). The son of former college coach Tyrone Willingham, Nathaniel Willingham worked at Stanford for four years before spending the past three seasons as a quality control coach with the Broncos.
Updated 2022 NFL Draft Order
With Super Bowl LVI finished, the final two places in the 2022 Draft have been finalized. The Bengals’ top pick is locked into 31st, while the Rams will not have a selection until the third round. For the rest of the league, the focus has already shifted to free agency and the draft, of course, so now all eyes will be on the offseason maneuvering teams do to reshape their rosters.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2021 standings, plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. For playoff teams, the order is determined by their postseason outcome and regular season record.
Pending trades, here is the final first round order of the 2022 Draft:
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 3-14
- Detroit Lions: 3-13-1
- Houston Texans: 4-13
- New York Jets: 4-13
- New York Giants: 4-13
- Carolina Panthers: 5-12
- New York Giants(via Bears)
- Atlanta Falcons: 7-10
- Denver Broncos: 7-10
- New York Jets (via Seahawks)
- Washington Football Team: 7-10
- Minnesota Vikings: 8-9
- Cleveland Browns: 8-9
- Baltimore Ravens: 8-9
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Dolphins)
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Colts)
- Los Angeles Chargers: 9-8
- New Orleans Saints: 9-8
- Philadelphia Eagles: 9-8
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-7-1
- New England Patriots: 10-7
- Las Vegas Raiders: 10-7
- Arizona Cardinals: 11-6
- Dallas Cowboys: 12-5
- Buffalo Bills: 11-6
- Tennessee Titans: 12-5
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 13-4
- Green Bay Packers: 13-4
- Miami Dolphins (via 49ers)
- Kansas City Chiefs: 12-5
- Cincinnati Bengals: 10-7
- Detroit Lions (via Rams)
Steelers To Interview John Spytek
The Steelers plan to interview John Spytek for their GM vacancy, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Spytek, the Buccaneers’ VP of player personnel, has been a popular name in this cycle, but has yet to land a GM spot.
Spytek spoke with the Raiders and Vikings before they hired former Pats exec Dave Ziegler and ex-Vikings VP of football operations Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, respectively. As a top lieutenant to Jason Licht, Spytek played an integral role in building the Buccaneers’ championship roster. All in all, he’s spent six years in Tampa. Before that, he worked as a scout for the Broncos during the Peyton Manning era and as a college scout for the Browns.
In addition to Spytek, the Steelers have been connected to:
- Morocco Brown, college scouting director (Colts): Interview requested
- Ryan Cowden, vice president of player personnel (Titans): Interviewed
- Ed Dodds, assistant general manager (Colts): Interviewed
- Omar Khan, vice president of football and business administration (Steelers): Mentioned as candidate
- Louis Riddick, former director of pro personnel (Eagles): Interview scheduled
- John Wojciechowski, co-director of player personnel (Packers): To interview
- JoJo Wooden, director of player personnel (Chargers): Interviewed by 2/4
Steelers To Interview Packers’ John Wojciechowski For GM
The Steelers continue to move on their GM search, with more names surfacing Wednesday. One of them is Packers co-director of player personnel John Wojciechowski.
Wojciechowski will interview for Pittsburgh’s soon-to-be vacant post, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. This would be a chance for Wojciechowski to return to Pittsburgh, where he began his personnel career in the late 1990s.
To start Brian Gutekunst‘s GM tenure, the Packers installed Wojciechowski and Jon-Eric Sullivan as his top lieutenants. Wojciechowski has been with the Packers for nearly 10 years, being hired as a scout during the 2012 offseason. He rose to a player personnel director post in 2017.
Prior to his Green Bay stay, Wojciechowski spent nine years with Dallas. His Steelers tenure predates Kevin Colbert‘s arrival, having left before the current GM took over in 2000. This is the Wojciechowski’s first known GM interview.
The Steelers sent out an interview request for Colts exec Morocco Brown earlier Wednesday. Here is how Pittsburgh’s search to replace Colbert looks:
- Morocco Brown, college scouting director (Colts): Interview requested
- Ryan Cowden, vice president of player personnel (Titans): Interviewed by 2/4
- Ed Dodds, assistant general manager (Colts): Interviewed by 2/4
- Omar Khan, vice president of football and business administration (Steelers): Mentioned as candidate
- Louis Riddick, former director of pro personnel (Eagles): Interview scheduled
- John Wojciechowski, co-director of player personnel (Packers): To interview
- JoJo Wooden, director of player personnel (Chargers): Interviewed by 2/4
Steelers Request Morocco Brown Interview
The Steelers requested permission to interview Colts college scouting director Morocco Brown for their GM vacancy (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). If their request is granted, Brown will be one of a handful of candidates to potentially take over for longtime GM Kevin Colbert.
Brown was also in the running for the Bears’ GM search, but Chicago ultimately went with Chiefs executive director of player personnel Ryan Poles. Before joining the Colts, Brown enjoyed a seven-year stint as the Bears’ assistant director of pro personnel, so he was believed to be a strong candidate. The Bears were also said to be impressed with him after his initial GM interview.
His last five years have been spent as a top executive in Indy. Brown has long been lauded for his scouting ability, which explains why the Browns retained him in 2017, even as most of the front office was sent packing. His biggest draft hits include the likes of linebacker Darius Leonard and guard Braden Smith, who contributed to some of the Colts’ very best offensive lines.
Here’s the current rundown of the the Steelers’ GM search:
- Morocco Brown, college scouting director (Colts): Interview requested
- Ryan Cowden, vice president of player personnel (Titans): Interviewed by 2/4
- Ed Dodds, assistant general manager (Colts): Interviewed by 2/4
- Omar Khan, vice president of football and business administration (Steelers): Mentioned as candidate
- JoJo Wooden, director of player personnel (Chargers): Interviewed by 2/4
Steelers Change WR Coaches
- The Steelers did not renew Ike Hilliard‘s contract, per The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly (on Twitter), and hired Frisman Jackson to coach their wide receivers. Jackson will leave Matt Rhule‘s hub for ex-Temple and Baylor coaches for Pittsburgh. The former NFL wideout, after stints with Rhule at both college programs, coached the Panthers’ receivers in each of Rhule’s first two years. Hilliard served as the Steelers’ receivers coach during that span.
Steelers To Interview Louis Riddick For GM
The search for a new general manager in Pittsburgh has led the team to Louis Riddick. The ESPN analyst is scheduled for an interview (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network).
[Related: Steelers Interview Three GM Candidates]
The 52-year-old began his front office career as a scout in Washington in 2001. He spent seven years there, then an additional six with the Eagles. The final four seasons of that time, in which he was Philadelphia’s director of pro personnel, represent his most senior job title. He has been out of the NFL since 2013, most recently working as an analyst on Monday Night Football. Last offseason, though, he received GM interest from the Lions, Texans and Jaguars.
A Pennsylvania native, Riddick played college football at Pitt, so he would certainly represent a hometown candidate to replace Kevin Colbert. He will be the fourth external candidate to interview for the role, though there are no details on when the sit-down will take place.
Here is where the Steelers’ GM search stands so far:
- Ryan Cowden, vice president of player personnel (Titans): Interviewed by 2/4
- Ed Dodds, assistant general manager (Colts): Interviewed by 2/4
- Omar Khan, vice president of football and business administration (Steelers): Mentioned as candidate
- Louis Riddick, former director of pro personnel (Eagles): Scheduled to interview
- JoJo Wooden, director of player personnel (Chargers): Interviewed by 2/4
Steelers Expected To Name Teryl Austin DC
You might have heard this before, but the Steelers are expected to name Teryl Austin as their new defensive coordinator. Per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, a deal could be finalized today or tomorrow (Twitter link).
Austin has served as the Steelers’ senior defensive assistant/secondary coach since 2019. Just two weeks ago, it was reported that Austin would be elevated to DC to replace the retiring Keith Butler, but then Pittsburgh elected to conduct a more thorough search and do its due diligence on a few external candidates. The Steelers requested interviews with then-Giants DC Patrick Graham — who subsequently took the same position with the Raiders — Saints defensive backs coach Kris Richard, and Cowboys passing game coordinator/secondary coach Joe Whitt Jr. before circling back to Austin.
Austin actually took an outside interview himself just yesterday, meeting with the Giants as a potential Graham replacement. That position may have offered him greater responsibility than the Steelers’ gig, as Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin took over as Pittsburgh’s defensive play-caller last season, but for one reason or another, it appears that Austin will remain in the Steel City.
The 56-year-old served as defensive coordinator for the Lions from 2014-17 under head coach Jim Caldwell, and during his time in Detroit, he was a regular on the HC interview circuit. His ill-fated tenure as the Bengals’ DC in 2018 caused his stock to plummet, but he is now getting a shot at some measure of redemption.
Of course, the Steelers’ D turned in an uncharacteristically poor 2021, allowing 361.1 yards per game (good for 24th in the league). Still, the unit does have some top-flight talent, and Austin’s secondary generally did a good job of limiting opposing passing games. More often than not, Pittsburgh’s run defense was the source of the club’s struggles.