Byron Leftwich isn’t the answer Steelers need at offensive coordinator

The Pittsburgh Steelers are rumored to be interested in Byron Leftwich, but here’s why adding another familiar face isn’t what this team needs. 

As of now, Matt Canada remains the offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, many are hopeful that his tenure could end soon. On Tuesday, a report surfaced that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are expected to fire OC Byron Leftwich, and the Steelers are rumored to have an interest.

From their perspective, it’s not hard to understand why they might take a hard look at Leftwich. The former quarterback was a backup in Pittsburgh during his playing career in 2008 and again in 2010 and 2012, per ESPN. Mike Tomlin has a relationship with Leftwich because of their time together, and we know that this is something that is important to him.

Though he has had some success in the past with Bruce Arians, Leftwich isn’t the offensive coordinator the Steelers need.

Steelers need an outside mind as offensive coordinator

Hiring familiar faces and promoting from within has its advantages, and relationships are important between coaches. However, these types of hirings haven’t yielded much success over the years.

Offensively, the Steelers promoted QB coach Randy Fichtner to offensive coordinator, and when he was finished in Pittsburgh, Matt Canada followed the same path. Defensively, this team has gone from Dick LeBeau to in-house hirings with Keith Butler and eventually promoting Teryl Austin from within.

Offensive playcalling and creativity are particularly important in today’s NFL. Though Leftwich hasn’t coached for the Steelers before, he doesn’t have the best reputation at the moment and his offense was not successful this past season. However, it seems like the Steelers might be willing to look past that in order to land a former player and well-respected person that they have a history with.

This is the wrong way to go about the hiring process. Instead of repeating the mistakes of the past when it comes to hiring based on familiarity, it’s time for Pittsburgh to reach outside the box and look for an innovative offensive mind that brings something different than what their coaches already offer.

I think it’s very easy for coaches who have a relationship with each other to get caught up in heavy group thinking. An outside mind could bring a fresh perspective and creativity that Mike Tomlin and his staff doesn’t already possess.

It’s hard to tell just who the right candidate would be as Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator, and obviously, Matt Canada is still with the team. However, I think this should be the mindset the Steelers front office should have as they make these important personnel decisions.