It’s been close to ten days since Mike Tomlin decided to step down as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The front office is ramping up its search for the new man at the helm, and they’ve completed an in-person interview with a very familiar name in the league.

“We have completed an in-person interview with Miami Dolphins Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver for our head coach position,” the team announced on X.

This wasn’t Weaver’s first conversation with Pittsburgh. It was his second interview with the Steelers, so the interest is more than surface-level. According to league sources, Weaver is also scheduled to interview with the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, which would mark his first meeting with that organization. Of course, that only happens if Pittsburgh doesn’t move first.

Anthony Weaver as a head-coaching candidate is worth a longer look. Around the league, he’s already viewed as a strong defensive coordinator option, despite being under contract with the Miami Dolphins and the fact that Miami parted ways with head coach Mike McDaniel. That alone speaks to how he’s regarded inside the building.

Weaver entered the league 14 years ago, starting out as an assistant defensive line coach with the Jets in 2012. A year later, he moved to Buffalo as the Bills’ defensive line coach. From there, his path took him to the Browns (2014-16), then to the Houston Texans, where he worked from 2016 to 2019 and eventually earned a promotion to defensive coordinator in 2020.

The upward movement didn’t stop there. In 2021, Weaver joined the Baltimore Ravens as their defensive line coach and run game coordinator. That unit finished No. 1 against the run, very much in line with Baltimore’s defensive identity. Over the next two seasons, he added assistant head coach responsibilities to his title.

That experience helped set the stage for his move to Miami, where he took over as defensive coordinator ahead of the 2024 season. This past year, the Dolphins allowed 24.9 points per game, along with 132.4 rushing yards and 216.4 passing yards per contest. They finished ranked fourth overall on defense, ninth against the run, and 10th in points allowed in 2024.

That came during a season when Miami’s offense struggled to find consistency, putting even more strain on the defense to carry its share. Of course, Anthony Weaver isn’t the only candidate Pittsburgh has brought in. The Steelers have also conducted in-person interviews with Brian Flores and former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy.

Flores, however, removed himself from the mix by signing an extension with the Vikings. But while the front office looks for the team’s new head coach, they might lose their offensive coordinator in the process.

Steelers might lose OC Arthur Smith

Despite an offensively uneven season in Pittsburgh, where the Steelers averaged 23.4 points per game, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith continues to draw interest around the league. The latest team to circle back is the Tennessee Titans, and the connection makes sense on several levels.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Tennessee is exploring a reunion with Smith as its offensive coordinator, just days after announcing Robert Saleh as its new head coach. For Smith, it would be a return to familiar ground. He spent nearly a decade on the Titans’ staff from 2011 through 2020.

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Smith moved through a variety of roles in that building. He began as a defensive quality control analyst, shifted to assistant tight ends coach, then took over the position group outright. By 2019, he had risen to offensive coordinator.

Those two seasons in charge of the offense were productive ones. The Titans led the league with 10 plays of 50 yards or more and also topped the NFL with eight pass plays of 50-plus yards during that stretch. That run earned him a head-coaching opportunity with the Atlanta Falcons, but the results there were mixed at best.

Smith went 21–30 over three seasons and was ultimately dismissed. He resurfaced in Pittsburgh as offensive coordinator, and now his name is back in circulation, potentially pointing him right back to Nashville. This movement fits into a broader reshuffling in Pittsburgh.

A few weeks ago, reports indicated that the Steelers were preparing for a full staff reset following Mike Tomlin’s departure. Special teams coordinator Danny Smith was the first to leave, joining the Bucs. Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin also completed an interview with the Commanders.

With a complete coaching overhaul, next season will be pretty interesting for the Steelers Nation.