The Pittsburgh Steelers have already started dipping their toes into the water for the head coaching search, with five interview requests being submitted by the team in the first day of their search after head coach Mike Tomlin stepped away.
Those first five candidates are starting off the cycle hot for the Steelers, and this tracker will be updated as new names roll in for the Steelers:
Rams passing-game coordinator Nathan Scheelhaase
Scheelhaase was known as ‘the play drawer’ for McVay, which others on that staff have done before, such as Kevin O’Connell, Liam Coen, and multiple other head coaching candidates. Now, he is the passing game coordinator for the Rams, but has no NFL coordinator experience as the play caller.
He joined the Rams staff in 2024 as an offensive specialist and offensive assistant. Before that, Scheelhaase was the offensive coordinator at Iowa State. He joined the Cyclones coaching staff under Matt Campbell as the running backs coach in 2018 before his role evolved over the next few seasons.
Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula
Shula led the Rams to a top-10 defense in just about every category despite injuries in the secondary. On top of that, the Rams spent the least amount of money on the defensive side of the football, only bolstering Shula’s resume.
The 39-year-old coach has been on the Rams staff since 2017 when Sean McVay took the Rams job. Over that time, his role has evolved from outside linebackers coach to linebackers coach and eventually to pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach.
He is the grandson of legendary Dolphins head coach Don Shula.
Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter
Minter was the defensive coordinator for the top ten Chargers defense and followed Jim Harbaugh from Michigan to the Chargers when he took the job,
He was also a former assistant under John Harbaugh with the Baltimore Ravens. During that time, he coached the secondary before leaving the organization to head to the college ranks and being the defensive coordinator with Vanderbilt.
Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores
The Steelers have familiarity with Flores, as he was the team’s senior defensive assistant in 2022 before taking the Vikings’ defensive coordinator position.
Flores has been one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL since joining the Vikings, and it now seems like he is ready again for a head coach spot or full roster control of a defense as a coordinator after his previous stop as a head coach with the Miami Dolphins.
Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver
Weaver was a longtime coach under John Harbaugh with the Ravens, so the Steelers have plenty of familiarity with him. He joined in 2021 as the run game coordinator and defensive line coach before ascending to assistant head coach in 2022 and 2023.
The Dolphins hired him in 2024 to be their defensive coordinator under Mike McDaniel. McDaniel was fired by the Dolphins, which leaves Weaver is a precarious spot, but he is still highly thought of in the coaching realm.
Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero
Evero has been the Panthers’ defensive coordinator since 2023, but during that time, his units have ranked near the bottom of the league. Still, some of that has been poor personnel making it much worse than it could be.
Evero became a coach in 2005 when he joined UC Davis as an assistant before making the leap to the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a defensive quality control coach.
Evero has worked under Sean McVay while with the Rams and left there to go to the Denver Broncos to be their defensive coordinator in 2022.