Steelers just lost a top HC candidate after Dolphins made their move

The NFL's coaching carousel is especially wild so far this offseason, as fans have already seen three of the longest-tenured head coaches across the league be fired or step down from their current jobs. The Pittsburgh Steelers are in that group, having lost HC Mike Tomlin following their playoff loss to the Houston Texans.

John Harbaugh and the recently fired Sean McDermott are the other two, with Harbaugh already landing on his feet with the New York Giants. Former Browns HC Kevin Stefanski has also found a new home, signing with the Atlanta Falcons. Neither of those coaches was going to be on the Steelers' radar, so they still had their pick of candidates heading into this week.

That changed Monday night, as the Miami Dolphins hired Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. Hafley had been considered a finalist for multiple HC openings and had interviews lined up later this week, but the Dolphins made sure he didn't have a reason to leave. Hafley likely wasn't going to get the job in Pittsburgh, but his hiring takes a quality candidate off the board and signals that teams are closing in on their preferred choices.

Pittsburgh Steelers may need to ramp up their HC search after Jeff Hafley lands with Miami Dolphins

Before being hired by Miami, Hafley was one of the seven coaches with whom the Steelers completed virtual interviews last week.

Despite being on their short list of candidates, Hafley had long been considered the favorite for the Dolphins job, especially once they hired Packers executive Jon-Eric Sullivan to be their new General Manager. What his hiring does mean for Pittsburgh, however, is that they may not be able to afford being as patient as they want to be.

With a whopping 10 total openings this cycle, with three already filled, competition for the top candidates is about to get fierce. The odds-on favorite for the Steelers currently is Rams' DC Chris Shula, who they won't be able to interview with them in person until next week at the earliest. He has been a hot name so far this cycle, with only the Falcons and Bills (for now) not requesting to interview him so far.

The Bills HC job opening may be an even bigger concern than Miami shrinking the pool of candidates, as the idea of getting to coach Josh Allen will undoubtedly entice the top names still available. The odds could easily start to shift based on who Buffalo requests interviews with, and that could, in turn, change the direction teams go in their respective searches.

For now, the Steelers should stay the course and hope they can land their preferred choice in the end, but they may end up needing to pivot if things keep changing quickly.