Steelers Now
What an eventful week it has been for the Pittsburgh Steelers, from being eliminated from the playoffs on Monday night to the surprise resignation of longtime head coach Mike Tomlin the following day, this offseason is off to a wild start.
With a franchise-record nine straight seasons without a postseason win, it’s not hyperbole to say that this is an organization at a crossroads, needing to turn over every stone in an effort to escape from the NFL’s dreaded middle-class purgatory. Over the last 48 hours, several of their top candidates have been revealed and unsurprisingly, there’s a common theme between the majority: young, defensive minded coaches.
With that specific archetype in mind, there’s one particular name that stands out above the rest, which is Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula, a target that the organization had been monitoring for roughly a month. The deeper you dive into his background, the more the connection makes sense. For years, the Steelers franchise has been uniquely drawn to NFL bloodlines. Shula’s grandfather, Don, won a combined 347 games over the course of a 33-year career, the most in NFL history. His surname certainly makes for a cool story but naturally added immense pressure to live up to legendary standards and fend off allegations of perceived nepotism.
When Sean McVay was hired as the head coach of the Rams in 2017, he made it a priority to get Shula, his college teammate at Miami (Ohio), on his defensive staff as the assistant linebackers coach. From there, he spent time in various roles, bouncing around position groups from the trenches to the secondary. Over the last decade, Shula has basically been getting a PhD in defensive football, soaking up every bit of knowledge from the legendary Wade Phillips, as well as respected minds Brandon Staley and Raheem Morris. Finally, in 2024, it was Shula’s time to shine as defensive coordinator.
There were several compelling things that stood out in his introductory press conference following his promotion, none more insightful than what he learned from his predecessors. From Phillips, it was that listening is a skill, trusting his coaches and that the genius is in the simplicity. Shula was complimentary of Staley’s innovative mind and his hunger to learn and be observant of league-wide trends to stay ahead of the curve. He stated that Morris’ ability to build relationships with everyone in the building and the joy that he brought to the day-to-day operation stood out. Those takeaways aren’t specific to being a defensive play caller; they’re qualities that every organization longs for in their head coach.
Aaron Donald’s decision to retire made Shula’s life as a first-time coordinator that much more difficult, with most analysts having significant concerns about the remaining talent on defense. After a tough start to the season, the Rams defense began heating up, behind a youth movement that included Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse, sophomore leaps for guys like Byron Young and Kobie Turner, and the emergence...
