The question of whether Mike Tomlin will return for the Pittsburgh Steelers appears to have been answered. But the Steelers still have an opening at offensive coordinator.
Given that the team has yet to develop a successor to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who Tomlin hires at offensive coordinator this offseason could become one of the most important decisions of his head coaching career.
Steelers Now’s Nick Farabaugh proposed several realistic candidates on X (formerly Twitter) on January 16. A few of those names have been previously connected as possible offensive coordinator candidates for Pittsburgh.
But Farabaugh also mentioned former wide receiver Keenan McCardell as a “sleeper option.”
“It could just be general praise but my ears perked up when Tomlin effusively praised him for his coaching of Stefon Diggs,” Farabaugh wrote.
Underrated but sleeper option is Keenan McCardell.
It could just be general praise but my ears perked up when Tomlin effusively praised him for his coaching of Stefon Diggs.
McCardell and Tomlin were both part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers first Super Bowl championship during the 2002-03 season. McCardell played wide receiver for the Buccaneers for two years while Tomlin served as the team’s cornerbacks coach.
In 15 NFL seasons, McCardell caught 883 passes for 11,373 yards and 63 touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl in 2003 with the Buccaneers and 1996 with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The past three seasons, McCardell has served as wide receivers coach for the Minnesota Vikings.
How Could Keenan McCardell Fit as Steelers Offensive Coordinator?
In the past, the Steelers have typically hired coordinators with some kind of connection to the franchise or city. McCardell doesn’t possess that, but his previous experience of playing for Tomlin could make him a candidate.
McCardell was an underrated receiver in his career. He racked up impressive career numbers because he played 15 seasons, but he also had five 1,000-yard seasons. In all five of those campaigns, he also had at least 80 receptions.
His best seasons came in the state of Florida when he played for the Jaguars and Buccaneers from 1996-2003. During those eight seasons, he averaged 80.5 catches and 1,029 yards per season.
He began his NFL coaching career as the wide receivers coach of the then Washington Redskins in 2010. After two years as Maryland’s wide receivers coach from 2014-15, he returned to the NFL with the Jaguars.
McCardell served as Jaguars wide receivers coach from 2017-20. He joined the Vikings in 2021.
With the Vikings, McCardell has overseen the development of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. He also worked with young receivers Allen Hurns, Marqise Lee and Keelan Cole in Jacksonville.
At Maryland, McCardell helped develop Stefon Diggs.
While McCardell wouldn’t be the “quarterback whisperer” that many NFL pundits are calling for the Steelers to hire as their next offensive coordinator, he’s been a quality receivers coach who could potentially provide new insight in Pittsburgh’s quarterback room.
What did Mike Tomlin Say About McCardell?
The big question about McCardell’s candidacy for offensive coordinator roles is his experience. He’s never served as an offensive coordinator or called plays at any level.
But as Farabaugh pointed out, Tomlin was recently rather complimentary of McCardell as a coach.
“When I saw that Keenan McCardell coached [Stefon Diggs] at the University of Maryland, it made sense because I worked with Keenan years ago,” Tomlin told reporters on January 9. “Man, Keenan was an elite route runner, and the spirit in which he approaches his craft is very similar. It’s like, I imagine that there’s depth to that relationship. Got a lot of respect for him.”
As Farabaugh argued, perhaps that was Tomlin just paying a former colleague a nice compliment. But it’s also not crazy to think Tomlin would consider that colleague for an opening in Pittsburgh.
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Ex-Pro Bowl WR Floated as Offensive Coordinator ‘Sleeper Option’ for Steelers