The Steelers should pursue Eric Bieniemy as their next OC
The Washington Commanders could look to clean house this offseason
Things have gone south in Washington for the Commanders.
After an embarrassing 45-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving, Washington is now 4-8, and the overwhelming likelihood is that they will fire head coach Ron Rivera before the start of the 2024 season.
That, obviously, raises questions on what comes next for Washington in terms of their next head coach, as well as the ensuing staff that coach brings on board.
Current offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy would almost certainly get an interview for the head coaching vacancy. However, if he doesn’t end up being the new man in charge of the Commanders, Pittsburgh should call him the second he becomes available.
Bieniemy’s track record speaks for itself. He helped the Kansas City Chiefs win two Super Bowls over the last four seasons, helping Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes put together one of the most explosive offenses in NFL history.
Wanting to venture out on his own to prove himself, Bieniemy left for Washington this past offseason, and the offensive results have been there. He helped make Sam Howell the league’s leading passer in terms of yards, and the first-year starter is also top five in the league in touchdown passes. Howell is also 10th in the league in completion percentage over expected. Washington’s offense also jumped up to 12th in yards per game, compared to finishing 20th in that category in 2022.
The results speak for themselves with Bieniemy. The Steelers can’t keep running their organization like a mom and pop pizza joint- they need to look outside their walls to find someone who can help this offense. Bieniemy’s track record is amongst the best of any offensive coordinator in the league. The Steelers have let too many no-brainers go elsewhere, including Bieniemy this past off-season. They also let Brian Flores go to Minnesota rather than promoting him to defensive coordinator and moving on from Teryl Austin.
The Steelers can’t let Bieniemy slip away twice in consecutive years. If he becomes available, Pittsburgh needs to pull the trigger. If they stick with someone already on the staff, or make another Pitt hire, that sends a very clear message to the fans- we don’t care about getting better or winning important games.
Bengals Lose Two Starters for Steelers Game
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PITTSBURGH — The Cincinnati Bengals will be without several stars in Week 12 as they take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Along with the loss of quarterback Joe Burrow, Cincy will also be without two starters.
The Bengals will miss star wide receiver Tee Higgins for a third game this season as the wideout recovers from an hamstring injury. While there was some optimism Higgins would return for Pittsburgh, he was unable to practice, leaving him sidelined for gameday.
Cincinnati will also be without cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt, according to Bengals head coach Zac Taylor.
Jake Browning will work with Ja’Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd as his main targets during his first start of the season. Andrei Iosivas is listed behind Higgins on the depth chart, with Trenton Irwin and Charlie Jones also available.
Higgins has caught 27 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns this season.
Without Taylor-Britt, the Bengals will turn to rookie DJ Turner at cornerback.
