Mike Tomlin Tabbed as ‘Dark Horse’ to Win Coach of the Year

Mike Tomlin is revered as one of the best coaches in the NFL, but one thing he does not have on his resume is an NFL Coach of the Year Award, but Bleacher Report sees Tomlin as being a potential dark horse candidate to grab the award in 2023.

Heading into 2023 with higher expectations than in 2022, Tomlin is hoping his team can have their breakout season with Kenny Pickett under center. Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report believes that breakout season could be very possible, and Tomlin could very easily bring home the Coach of the Year Award in 2023.

“Are the Steelers a great team? No. Are they the best team in the AFC North? Also no. But the Steelers are stout defensively and have at least adequate skill-position talent on offense,” Davenport wrote. “If quarterback Kenny Pickett takes a positive step in his second season, the Steelers could be a 10 or even 11-win team. And if Pittsburgh can exceed expectations and make a little noise in the playoffs, maybe Tomlin will finally get the recognition he has deserved for some time.”

The Steelers would have to be in the playoffs and potentially win the division for Mike Tomlin to corral the award. However, it is a bonkers stat that he has yet to win the award even once in his illustrious career with the Steelers up to this point. But this could be as good a year as any for that stretch to end.

Early last week, Tomlin ranked as the 3rd overall coach in the NFL in a power ranking done by Ross Tucker. Tomlin is a likely future Hall of Fame coach, but has not won a playoff game since 2016, and he would certainly like to see that change this year. If it does change, there is a good chance that Tomlin wins Coach of the Year.