Getty Head coach Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers announced the hiring of a new offensive assistant on April 5.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are adding to their offensive coaching staff.
The Steelers announced on April 5 that the team is hiring former quarterback Glenn Thomas as an offensive assistant. Thomas possesses more than 20 years of coaching experience.
We have named Glenn Thomas as our offensive assistant coach.
Thomas served as an offensive assistant under former Steelers offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey on the Atlanta Falcons coaching staff from 2008-11. He remained on the Atlanta staff as the quarterbacks coach from 2012-14.
All of Thomas’ other coaching experience has come at the college level.
The Thomas hiring comes during an offseason where the Steelers did not make a change at offensive coordinator. Matt Canada will finish his contract, remaining in that role for at least the 2023 season.
Steelers Hire Glenn Thomas to Offensive Coaching Staff
Thomas never played college football, but he began his coaching career while still a student at Texas Tech. After three years as a student assistant, Thomas took on a more official role as a graduate assistant at Midwestern State.
He held various roles at Midwestern State from 2001-07 before joining the Falcons. But in seven seasons at the then Division II program, Thomas rose to offensive coordinator by his fifth year.
Then in Atlanta, Thomas worked under Mularkey for four seasons as an assistant. He received a promotion to quarterbacks coach in 2012 when Dirk Koetter became Atlanta’s offensive coordinator.
The Athletic’s Doug Haller reported in February 2022 about the intricate role Thomas played in helping Koetter learn Mularkey’s offense to keep the playbook mostly intact for young quarterback Matt Ryan.
After the 2014 season, the Falcons staff was not retained when the team hired Dan Quinn to replace Mike Smith. Thomas then returned to college as a quarterbacks coach for Temple.
The role with the Steelers is Thomas’ second NFL opportunity. Over the last eight years, he’s served in various offensive coaching roles at Temple, Baylor, UNLV and Arizona State. Most recently, Thomas was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Arizona State in 2022 for one season.
More Changes Coming to Steelers Offensive Staff?
Despite Thomas’ arrival, the Steelers have not made many changes to their offensive staff. The Steelers have lost just one offensive coach this offseason and before Thomas, hadn’t hired anyone.
Because of that lack of change, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Joe Rutter wrote that it’s unclear what role Thomas will have as a Steelers offensive assistant.
“Thomas’ role with the Steelers is unknown. The Steelers have a quarterbacks coach in Mike Sullivan, who is assisted by David Corley,” Rutter wrote. “Matt Canada, despite all of the team’s struggles on offense last year, was retained for a third season as offensive coordinator.
“The only coach on offense who is not returning from the 2022 season is assistant wide receivers coach Blaine Stewart, who accepted a job on the West Virginia coaching staff in January. That created an opening which Thomas has filled.”
But Thomas is arriving on the Steelers coaching staff at an interesting time. Canada will be entering the final year of his contract, and speculation has already begun that 2023 could be his last season in Pittsburgh.
Three of the last four times the Steelers made a change at offensive coordinator, they promoted a coach to the role who was already on staff.
With Thomas’ previous coordinator experience, it’s possible that he will be on the short list of candidates to replace Canada if the Steelers offense doesn’t take a major jump in 2023.
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Steelers Add Mike Mularkey Disciple to Offensive Coaching Staff