The Pittsburgh Steelers are extending veteran running backs coach Eddie Faulkner, according to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report. Faulkner served as the team’s interim offensive coordinator after they fired Matt Canada midseason, and now he will stay with the team moving forward.
Faulkner, 46, was a surprise choice as offensive coordinator. He has held that title just once in his career, at Ball State from 2009-10. During his time as offensive coordinator, the team found a groove later in the year, embracing a diverse run scheme that helped them break out under Mason Rudolph’s guidance at quarterback.
A Muncie, Indiana native, Faulkner is a Wisconsin grad and signed with the Steelers out of college as a running back. He ended up playing in the CFL with Edmonton Eskimos for one season before getting into coaching.
He spent eight years at Ball State, working up from graduate assistant to offensive coordinator and interim head coach when Stan Parrish was fired during the 2010 season. Faulkner was not retained by the new coaching staff at Ball State.
In 2011, he was hired by Northern Illinois, where he served as running backs coach under Canada, who was then the Huskies’ offensive coordinator. He was briefly the running backs coach at Pitt before leaving to coach tight ends at Wisconsin in 2012, re-joining Canada for a second time
Faulkner then joined Canada a third time at NC State as tight ends coach, fullbacks coach and special teams coordinator. He stayed in Raleigh after Canada was fired, coaching under Dave Doeren until 2018.
He has been the Steelers’ running backs coach since 2019, developing the talents of James Conner, Najee Harris, and Jaylen Warren, among others. Now, with the team looking to add another receiver behind them, he will get the chance to develop a potential young running back and continue some run game continuity under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
It is unknown how long the extension with Faulkner is, but given the results that have come out of his position room in recent seasons, it’s hard to deny that he has done an impressive job. And that is why he is sticking around with the team moving forward.
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