Steelers to “Talk to” Kliff Kingsbury about OC Position
It continues.
NFL Insider, Peter King, went on the Pittsburgh sports talk radio show, 93.7 The Fan, and said that the Steelers are going to “talk to” Kliff Kingsbury about their offensive coordinator position, adding that they’ll be a run-first team if they choose to hire him.
Kliff Kingsbury has been at USC since April 2023, serving as their senior offensive analyst. If hired, he’d get another shot on a coaching staff at the NFL level, despite his lack of success in the past.
Kingsbury was the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals from the 2019 NFL season through the 2022 season, before being fired by the team in January 2023. His first few years as head coach of the Cardinals were rough, although Kyler Murray won offensive rookie of the year in 2019, and their record improved in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, respectively. In all three of those years, the Cardinals struggled brutally down the stretch, and suffered some epic late-season collapses. Despite the lofty expectations for them heading into the 2022 season, they finished the year 4-13. That would be the end of his tenure in Arizona.
Even though his tenure as an NFL coach was a rough one, he has worked with some great quarterbacks throughout his coaching career, including Johnny Manziel (during his Heisman trophy year) and Patrick Mahomes in college, and Kyler Murray in the NFL. While serving as the head coach at Texas Tech, the Red Raiders were top 10 in the nation in passing yards and top 20 in the nation in total offense each and every season during his tenure. Clearly, the guy is a bright offensive mind.
I’m on the fence on this one, guys. Like I said, the guy knows offense and is capable of transforming this archaic Steelers offense. However, I think his success, or lack thereof, will depend largely on our QB situation, which scares me a bit. Let’s say we stick with Kenny Pickett. Given his track record in the NFL, am I supposed to have faith that he’s going to aid in the development of KP going forward? I know he did it in college with Mahomes and Manziel, but would you say that Kyler Murray has progressed or regressed since being coached by Kingsbury? I’m being a smart ass; we all know the answer. With that being said, Murray has struggled with injuries, and maybe Kingsbury just wasn’t the right guy for that particular situation. There’s certainly more stability in Pittsburgh than there is in Arizona, that’s for damn sure. There’s a myriad of coaches that have gone from college to the NFL and failed, and Kingsbury is one of them. However, the Steelers wanting to meet with him does show us something significant: they’re trying to do something outside their comfort zone by bringing in a big-name guy known for his offensive prowess.
It may also be worth mentioning that Kingsbury has also met with the Chicago Bears. The Bears have the number one pick in a draft that features quarterback Caleb Williams, who played at…can you guess?...USC. I DO NOT HAVE SOURCES, I’M NOT A REPORTER, I’M NOT IN THE KNOW! But, I have to speculate just like everyone else: If the Bears hire Kliff Kingsbury for their offensive coordinator position, they have to take Caleb Williams at number one, right? Then, what happens to Justin Fields? Just a thought.
Here. We. Go. It’s getting juicy.
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