It shouldn’t come as any surprise that newly-hired Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy might be looking to reliable faces from his past to fill out his coaching staff.
It could lead to a massive move up for one of his former assistants on the Dallas Cowboys with current tight ends coach Lunda Wells.
“Cowboys tight ends coach Lunda Wells is expected to interview this week for the Steelers offensive coordinator job,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on Tuesday. “Wells worked under Steelers HC Mike McCarthy in Dallas for five years, and interviewed this month for the Commanders OC job. He also is head coach for the west team in tonight’s East-West Shrine game.”
Wells has been the Cowboys’ tight ends coach since 2020, where he’s developed former fourth round pick Jake Ferguson into a Pro Bowler and one of the NFL’s elite players at his position.
Wells also helped Ferguson do the one thing NFL players care about the most, which is get super-duper paid. Ferguson is now one of the NFL’s highest paid tight ends after he signed a 4-year, $50 million contract extension before the 2025 season.
Wells Took Path Through HBCU, SEC Before NFL Job
Wells, a Louisiana native, stayed home to play for HBCU powerhouse Southern, where he was a 2-time All-SWAC offensive lineman. He played 2 years of professional indoor football in the AFL and NIFL before going into coaching.
Wells spent 2 seasons at Scotlandville High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, before catching on as an assistant offensive line coach at LSU in 2008. After 4 seasons at LSU, the New York Giants hired Wells as an offensive quality control coach. He worked his way up to assistant offensive line coach then tight ends coach for his final 2 seasons in 2018 and 2019.
First Job for McCarthy Since Leaving Dallas
McCarthy, the former head coach of both the Green Bay Packers and Cowboys, is a Pittsburgh native and just the fourth head coach for the Steelers since 1969.
“Coming home: The Steelers are working towards a deal to hire Mike McCarthy as their head coach, per sources,” NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero wrote on January 24. “McCarthy grew up in Pittsburgh. Now, at age 62, the Super Bowl winner gets a chance to coach the team he grew up rooting for.”
McCarthy coached the Cowboys for 5 seasons but did not see his contract renewed following the 2024 season after the Cowboys went 7-10 — that followed 3 consecutive seasons with a 12-5 record and 3 consecutive playoff berths.
The Cowboys turned to former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer as their new head coach and went 7-9-1 in 2025, capping the season with an embarrassing loss to the New York Giants in Week 18.
“A tight ends coach interviewing for offensive coordinator? That’s a massive jump.” X user SMV wrote. “McCarthy bringing his Dallas guy to Pittsburgh doesn’t mean Wells is ready to run an entire offense. This feels like loyalty over qualifications.”
“Lunda Wells has done a great job of developing TEs in Dallas and is one of the most respected coaches in the league,” Locked on Cowboys’ Marcus Mosher wrote on X. “He’s also helped with the run game in previous seasons. And players really love him. Certainly deserves a look for an OC spot.”
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