After a disappointing early exit from the NFL Playoffs, a significant void was left as longtime Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stepped down from his position.
Pittsburgh became one of several NFL teams needing a new head coach and ultimately settled on Mike McCarthy. Many believe that the former Green Bay Packers Super Bowl-winning head coach has a similar style to Tomlin’s.
With Tomlin’s departure and McCarthy’s arrival as the new head coach, the Steelers are assembling his coaching staff during the offseason. Just days ahead of Super Bowl LX, news arrived that the team is working to add an offensive coordinator with considerable experience.
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On Wednesday afternoon, NFL insider Tom Pelissero (via sources) reported that the team is “finalizing a deal with Brian Angelichio” to become the Steelers’ OC.
The reported deal arrives after the 53-year-old worked in Minnesota with the Vikings for the past four seasons as their passing game coordinator and tight ends coach. It also comes after Steelers’ OC Arthur Smith joined Ryan Day’s coaching staff for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
For the majority of Angelichio’s college and NFL coaching experience, he’s worked as a tight ends coach. That included stints with Rutgers and Pittsburgh in the NCAA, followed by seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, and Cleveland Browns, among several others.
The Steelers ranked among the bottom eight teams in the NFL this past season with their 305.6 yards on offense per game. However, they ranked directly in the middle of the league when it came to their 23.4 points per game. Still, there are improvements to be made if they want to compete in a challenging AFC.
Angelichio joins a staff that also added offensive line coach James Campen, assistant offensive line coach Jahri Evans, running backs coach Ramon Chinyoung Sr., and wide receivers coach Adam Henry. Campen previously worked with McCarthy in Green Bay, bringing some familiarity.
There are likely to be some big decisions on the way to help structure the Steelers’ offense. Much of that depends on Aaron Rodgers, who some speculate will retire, and others believe will play another season under his former Packers coach, McCarthy.
Should he retire, it creates an interesting situation at quarterback, with Will Howard and Mason Rudolph on the depth chart. There are also various NFL mock draft projections indicating Pittsburgh will use its first-round pick on Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson if he’s available at that spot.
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