Byron Leftwich Interested in Helping Steelers Offense

Former NFL offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich has made contact with the Pittsburgh Steelers regarding their potential search for additional offensive coaching, but the Steelers haven’t seemed interested.

Mark Kaboly of The Athletic first reported that Leftwich has made his interest known to the Steelers, but the Black and Gold braintrust has not taken him up on that offer. Steelers Now has confirmed Leftwich’s interested.

Leftwich played for the Steelers under Mike Tomlin in 2008 and 2010-12 and has family in the area, so a job in Pittsburgh would make a lot of sense for him.

Former Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians got Leftwich into coaching in 2016 as an intern with the Arizona Cardinals. Leftwich moved up to quarterbacks coach and then was interim offensive coordinator for the Cardinals in 2018.

In 2019, Arians took the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coaching job and hired Leftwich as his offensive coordinator. With Leftwich calling the plays and Tom Brady under center, the Bucs won Super Bowl LV after the 2020 season and won another two NFC South titles.

Though winning the NFC South, the Bucs finished the 2022 season with an 8-9 record and were rocked in Brady’s last game in the Wild Card playoff by the Dallas Cowboys.Tampa fired Leftwich immediately after the season and he did not find other work elsewhere this year.

The Steelers have been standing behind offensive coordinator Matt Canada despite a below-mediocre start to the season. After five weeks, the Steelers are 28th in points, 25th in yards and 26th in yards per play.

But it does not appear that the team is poised to make a change to its offensive playcalling staff, or even entertain the idea of bringing Leftwich on as an analyst or position coach, as the team did with Brian Flores after he was fired by the Miami Dolphins ahead of the 2022 season.