Highly-Regarded Coach Makes Sense for Steelers OC Gig

Originally appeared at Steelers Now: Highly-Regarded Coach Makes Sense for Steelers OC Gig

When it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator job, four criteria have to be met, according to Mike Tomlin. The candidate must form outside the organization, have prior coordinator experience, run a diverse and varied scheme, and preferably boast a quarterback coaching background. That narrows down the list considerably, and the candidates who fit the bill are impressive.

But if the Steelers go the route of experienced guru, no one fits the bill better than the Miami Dolphins passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell. For one, Bevell is in a highly successful passing game in Miami, but his prior resume speaks for itself.

Bevell was the offensive coordinator counterpart to Tomlin when he was the defensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings in 2006. Bevell has had four stints as an NFL OC, with the Vikings from 2006-10, the Seattle Seahawks from 2011-17, the Detroit Lions from 2019-20 and the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021. He was also the interim head coach in Detroit and Jacksonville, as Bevell has had the bad luck of having two head coaches fired from above him as OC.

The trip around the league has made Bevell extremely adaptable in terms of scheme fit, and he’s currently working in one of the most innovating ones, serving as passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Miami Dolphins under Mike McDaniel. In addition to Tua Tagovailoa, Bevell has been the coordinator or quarterbacks coach for Trevor Lawrence, Matt Stafford, Russel Wilson, and Brett Favre.

If you want to find someone scheme adaptable, Bevell is the guy. He has been a part of every significant schematic shift in the NFL over the last decade just through his movement. The scheme he put out there last year is not the same that he will bring back, as he stays ahead of the curve. Something like the Tyreek Hill motion in Miami that took the league by storm in 2023 is a classic example of how Bevell still maintains the modernity within his offense as he goes around the league.

So, you can expect him to come out of the Dolphisn tenure with much more Shanahan flair from McDaniel. But it’s his experience working with quarterbacks that makes him even more well-suited for the job. In general, Bevell’s scheme is simple. It has classic West Coast elements with Shanahan elements that he has picked up over time.

Specifically, the emphasis on under-center play action is apparent in his scheme. But the run game boasts a diverse cache of options. Being further embedded into Shanahan’s ideas with McDaniel makes his scheme even more intriguing. The heavy emphasis on play-action can only help a young quarterback like Kenny Pickett. But with how talented Pittsburgh’s running backs are, it is an excellent foil to that.

Bevell should land on the Steelers’ short list of interviews in the coming weeks. His background fits it, and he has an obvious Tomlin connection, even if that was 18 years ago. Bevell checks all the boxes to potentially land the final job with an impressive resume.