The Pittsburgh Steelers coaching staff continues to see changes this offseason. On Tuesday, it was announced that the team would be hiring Aaron Curry, a former first-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. Curry spent four years with the Seattle Seahawks coaching staff, coaching the edge rushers since 2019. Many speculated that he would be coaching the outside linebackers, continuing the same role that he had in Seattle.
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Well, that will not be the case. Instead, the team will not be retaining Jerry Olsavsky, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Olsavsky has served as the team’s inside linebacker coach for the past 22 years, so Curry will now take over that role. Last season, Brian Flores coached the linebackers as well, but he left for the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive coordinator opening. In other words, the linebackers will have completely new voices in the room.
Jerry Olsavsky, who has been a member of the Steelers organization as a player and coach for 22 seasons, will not be retained after the team hired Aaron Curry to be the ILB coach, per sources.
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) February 22, 2023
This latest move seems to be an attempt to get the staff a bit younger. Just last week, assistant defensive line coach John Mitchell retired. Olsavsky, like Mitchell, was an underrated catalyst on the coaching staff for several years. He was an integral factor in the team's elite defense throughout the 2000's, helping several inside linebackers, such as James Farrior, Lawrence Timmons, and others.
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The team's coaching staff will look a lot different in 2023 now. They still can hire an assistant or two, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Pep Hamilton or Byron Leftwich are names that would make sense, but for now, the Steelers have a small staff. Olsavsky deserves his flowers for his time in Pittsburgh, as his presence will surely be missed in 2023 and beyond.
What are your thoughts on the hiring of Curry? How big of a loss will Olsavsky be to the staff? Do you like the front office opting to make the coaching staff a bit younger? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, as well as on our social media sites, yinz!
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