Browns Requested Permission to Interview Steelers Assistant Brian Flores
Other NFL teams have already requested to interview Pittsburgh Steelers senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach Brian Flores about position openings, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Monday afternoon in a press conference at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
Shortly after, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter tweeted that AFC North rival Cleveland requested permission to talk to Brian Flores about being its next defensive coordinator. The Browns fired Joe Woods from that same position Monday morning and have also sought the okay to interview New England linebackers coach Jerod Mayo for the opening.
With Flores as part of its coaching staff, the Steelers’ defense ranked 13th in the league in yards allowed per game this season (330.4) and 19th in passing yards allowed (222.3). The unit graded out in the top 10 in both rushing yards allowed (108.1) and points per game (20.4).
Flores has also been linked to head coaching vacancies in Houston and Denver. He coached Miami for three seasons, helping shape the Dolphins into a legitimate crew and posting the team’s first back-to-back winning season since 2003, before being fired last off-season. He landed with the Steelers after filing a lawsuit against the NFL and three teams, alleging racial discrimination in hiring practices. He also alleged that Miami owner Stephen Ross pressured him into recruiting a “prominent quarterback” following the 2019 season.
Before taking over for the Dolphins, Flores was a longtime assistant for the Patriots under Bill Belichick. Other head coaching openings in the NFL include those of Arizona, Indianapolis, and Carolina.
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