Steelers Could Be Huge Beneficiary If Ben Johnson Is Hired As Commanders Next Head Coach

The Pittsburgh Steelers don't have any official plans for the 2024 offseason just yet. The focus has been traveling to play the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round on Monday. It is a daunting task to go on the road in brutal weather conditions and pull off a massive upset win, but no one is counting Mike Tomlin's team out. Whenever the season officially comes to an end, it is likely that the organization will begin their search for a new offensive coordinator. It will need to be a home run to compete in an offensive-minded league and resurrect Kenny Pickett's career.

There are a plethora of head coaching openings throughout the NFL and the decisions that are made in upcoming weeks could directly affect the offensive coordinator market. One top candidate to lead a team in 2024 is Detroit Lions' Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson. The mastermind is going to land somewhere, and Steelers fans should be rooting for one spot in particular. The Athletic's Dianna Russini detailed which franchise is aggressively going after Johnson.

If the Washington Commanders are able to land Johnson as their next head coach, that would start a domino effect that could drastically change how the Steelers approach their expected offensive coordinator opening. Johnson will want full control of the offense regardless of where he goes, and ending up with the Commanders would immediately make a savvy, forward-thinking coach available.

Steelers Need To Go All In On Eric Bieniemy If He Becomes Available

Eric Bieniemy has gotten the short end of the stick in recent years as an NFL coach. No one would complain about Patrick Mahomes being their quarterback, but he played second fiddle to Andy Reid while in the Kansas City Chiefs' organization. Then, he finally received the go-ahead to run his own offense with the Commanders, but after one season, Ron Rivera was fired and he could be moved on from if Washington's new head coach is an offensive genius.

This would open the door for Pittsburgh to target Bieniemy as their new offensive play-caller. There would be multiple teams interested in Bieniemy, but the Steelers need a legitimate offensive mind to evaluate Pickett properly. A Super Bowl-winning coordinator is the perfect person to bring in and help develop the 2022 first-round pick in his third season.

The word is still out on Tomlin and if he will step away from the Steelers, but that's a hard concept to buy into. Pittsburgh can't afford a failure of a hire after the Matt Canada debacle. If Johnson were to be hired in Washington, it should immediately trigger Art Rooney II to bring in Bieniemy for an interview and give him an offer that he simply can't refuse. 

It is time for Tomlin and the Steelers' organization to adapt to the modern NFL. Bieniemy has been extremely successful and been around one of the greatest coaches in the history of the league in Reid. The next hire for offensive coordinator needs to be a splash one if the team truly wants to see what Pickett is capable of. A new, innovative offense is absolutely what Pittsburgh needs to take the next step.

They may have snuck into the playoffs, but if you take a look at the other 13 teams, it's hard to say that the future outlook on the quarterback position isn't the worst in Pittsburgh. Pickett deserves a shot to prove himself with a competent offensive mind, even with the emergence of Mason Rudolph. Bieniemy would be the perfect fit to create a dynamic offense.

Do you think Bieniemy could be in Pittsburgh come the 2024 season? Let us know in the comments below!

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