The Pittsburgh Steelers have already had an eventful offseason in 2026 as the franchise hired Mike McCarthy as its new head coach, and with that came nearly a whole new coaching staff. New hires have been taking place over the past week or so, which was seen with the addition of Patrick Graham at defensive coordinator. McCarthy is still looking for other big pieces, and he found one on Monday.
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Steelers' Mike McCarthy goes through a photoshoot prior to his introductory press conference at the start of the 2026 offseason.
With the hiring of McCarthy came the reality that beloved special teams coordinator Danny Smith would likely be moving on, and that became true when he recently joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coaching staff. Pittsburgh had to find a new special teams coordinator, and one was announced on Monday as the franchise hired Danny Crossman.
The Steelers are expected to hire Danny Crossman as their special teams coordinator, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 2, 2026
Crossman, 59, has over two decades of NFL experience, most recently with the Dolphins. A key hire for Mike McCarthy. pic.twitter.com/AIcTZgxIex
Crossman most recently spent time with the Miami Dolphins as he was the special teams coordinator while holding other roles from 2019 through 2024. He was fired after the 2024 season, and he stayed out of coaching in 2025. His units in Miami were not great, and the same is true about his stop before that with the Buffalo Bills.
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Steelers' Danny Crossman speaks with the media during his time with the Miami Dolphins.
Crossman has plenty of experience coaching at the NFL level, which seems to be a constant with the majority of McCarthy's new staff. He got his first job in the league with the Carolina Panthers back in 2003, and he worked with the franchise through the 2009 season. He worked in special teams throughout his entire tenure there before spending three seasons with the Detroit Lions.
This is seemingly not a very inspiring hire however, outside of the extensive amount of experience that Crossman has. Even some of that can nullified due to his limited exposure to the new kickoff rules as well. The new rules have only been around for one season, and Crossman didn't even coach in 2025 after being fired by Miami following the 2024 season.
Pittsburgh's main areas of concern on special teams have been with kick returns. The organization just has not been able to figure it out in recent years. The Steelers consistently averaged 25 or fewer yards per return, while other teams in the league seem to excel at getting the ball up past the 30-yard line. Hiring a coach with little experience coaching this new rule seems a bit bizarre.
Steelers Have The Chance To Be Danny Crossman's Best Stop In The NFL
Successes or failures on special teams don't entirely come down to the coach; a lot of it has to do with the players. Pittsburgh has a consistent kicker in Chris Boswell and a punter who seemed to get better as the 2025 season went on. The organization also has a Pro Bowl special teamer in Ben Skowronek and a rookie that made his mark on the unit in 2025 in Carson Bruener. Crossman has all of the tools to work with, he just needs to put everybody in the best spot to succeed. If he can do that, his time in Pittsburgh has a chance to be his most successful stop yet.
Kirby Lee / Imagn Images
Steelers' Danny Crossman coaching when he was with the Miami Dolphins in London during the 2021 season.
McCarthy's staff is almost completely taken care of. The last major decision is going to come down to offensive coordinator, but that isn't even as big of a hire as it usually is as McCarthy has already announced that he is going to be calling the plays during games. The staff should be full in the near future, and fans will begin to get a better idea of what this team might look like in 2026.
What do you think of this new hire for Pittsburgh? Let us know in the comments below!
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