Former Rams Coach Gets Interview With Steelers

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay is one of the most influential coaches in football. The offense is an offshoot of San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan’s scheme but continues to take its unique shape and innovate every season. The success has followed, and with that comes other teams poaching the brightest names on his staff. Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, quarterbacks coach Zac Robinson, and assistant special teams coach Jeremy Springer have all received interviews for promotions around the league.

They’re unsurprisingly highly regarded in the building, too, McVay went as far as to say any coaching change would be a result of a promotion. Related content However, Los Angeles’ impact on this year’s coaching carousel extends beyond the 2023 staff. On Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers interviewed Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown. Brown isn’t a popular candidate given the lack of success in his only season as an NFL offensive coordinator. The Panthers – ushering in the first-overall pick, quarterback Bryce Young – face-planted, and head coach Frank Reich was hired halfway through the season. Essentially a lame-duck coordinator for much of the year, Carolina finished 29th in expected points added per play and 30th in success rate. Needless to say, he won’t be returning. However, Brown shouldn’t be discounted as a serious offensive coordinator candidate. For one, the Panthers were set up to fail. Young may or may not be viable as a starting quarterback, but the supporting cast regressed mightily. Young’s short stature plays a role in what can be called, and it felt like defenses were teeing off on an offense that was constantly behind the sticks.

Furthermore, Brown’s history with McVay is enticing. Carrying over a similar scheme isn’t guaranteed to find success, but should bode well for Pittsburgh’s run game, which head coach Mike Tomlin is happy to rely on. Brown wasn’t just a position coach, though. He made the leap from a collegiate running backs coach (eight years for six schools) to the Rams staff. He took on the same role in Los Angeles before adding “assistant head coach” to his résumé in 2021. The next year, he was the assistant head coach and the tight end coach. Related: McVay’s Tree: Rams Coach To Interview With Patriots McVay promoting him to assistant head coach could be seen as a nod for his future job prospects, and it worked – even if his first stop wasn’t successful. If any single-year coordinator deserves a second chance, one with the belief of the game’s elite and the track record to match should garner consideration.