Steelers Now Send Request To Interview 1 Browns Coach

The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially introduced Mike McCarthy as their new head coach on Tuesday. First things first, he has to assemble a coaching staff. He got started on it on Wednesday with his new wide receivers coach, but that is only the beginning. Expectations are that he will retain very few assistants from Mike Tomlin's staff, if any. Two coordinators are already confirmed to be out, as they have taken jobs on other teams. The offensive staff should come quickly with McCarthy being the primary play-caller. 

The Steelers now have a golden opportunity for their defensive coordinator, as Jim Schwartz reportedly left the Cleveland Browns angrily after he learned that he would not get the head coaching job with Todd Monken being hired. His defenses were elite and getting him in Pittsburgh would be a massive step in McCarthy being a successful hire and getting fans on his side.

Schwartz is not the only Browns coach that is expected to leave due to Monken being hired. NFL insider Tom Pelissero mentioned another big name that will most likely leave that organization now, and the Steelers could bring him on as well.

The Steelers do need a new special teams coach, so they could land Bubba Ventrone to be their new leader on that side of the ball. He won a Super Bowl while he was on the New England Patriots' staff, and he also had the title of assistant head coach under Kevin Stefanski, another well-respected leader in the NFL. Despite only being 43, he has plenty of experience as a player and as a coach. 

The Steelers acted quickly after the news broke and have officially requested an interview with Ventrone to be their special teams coordinator. 

Ventrone will have some big shoes to fill if he gets the job as Danny Smith was beloved in Pittsburgh. He won't have to chew 20 packs of gum per day, but he will have to embody the Steelers' physical, aggressive style for kickoff and punt duties while improving the lackluster return game. If he can do that, this will be a great hire, and he could stick around for a long time to come. 

Steelers Have Pittsburgh Connection With Ventrone

There may be a bit of a relationship already in place between Ventrone and the Steelers' brass, as his younger brother played in Pittsburgh for two seasons. Ross Ventrone found a home in the Steel City as a pure special teamer for two seasons before getting released from the practice squad. There is some connection there, but there may be another stronger one that was built from their roots, just like with the head coach. 

The Ventrone brothers were, in fact, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While the Steelers repeatedly made sure to tell everyone that McCarthy's hometown did not have anything to him being hired, there seemed to be something there from the emotional standpoint of leading the team he grew up watching. While Bubba Ventrone would also be brought in for his expertise, getting him back home is an added bonus.

It's hard to find a young up-and-comer that can fit well as a special teams coach, so bringing Ventrone in would be a huge boost to the organization. If the Steelers can hire Schwartz, his fellow coordinator could follow him to Pittsburgh, or vice versa. McCarthy's staff in Pittsburgh could become stacked quickly, as great options like these do not come around very often.

What do you think about the Steelers bringing in Ventrone to be the new special teams coordinator? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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