The Pittsburgh Steelers have another offensive coordinator who not only coached under Mike McCarthy with the Dallas Cowboys, but played quarterback for McCarthy with the Green Bay Packers — Scott Tolzien.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Thursday the Steelers have told the New Orleans Saints they plan to interview Tolzien. The Steelers will interview Tolzien for their offensive coordinator opening.
Tolzien coached quarterbacks for the Saints last season.
From 2013-15, Tolzien played quarterback in Green Bay. He started two games for the Green Bay Packers during the 2013 campaign.
In 2020, Tolzien joined McCarthy’s first staff in Dallas as a coaching assistant. The former quarterback was then a position coach for the Cowboys from 2023-24.
Tolzien is the second known candidate the Steelers are considering at offensive coordinator. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday the Steelers were going to interview Cowboys tight ends coach Lunda Wells for the opening.
Steelers to Interview Scott Tolzien for OC Opening: Report
Tolzien will be the second candidate the Steelers consider for their next offensive coordinator who doesn’t have previous coordinator experience. Tolzien also has just three years of experience as a quarterbacks coach.
Interestingly, Pittsburgh’s quarterbacks coach Tom Arth, who the team retained Wednesday, has more experience than that. However, some of Arth’s quarterback coaching experience came at the college level.
But Tolzien’s experience as both a coach and a player under McCarthy could be useful to the development of a young signal-caller such as Will Howard.
Tolzien was an undrafted free agent for the then San Diego Chargers in 2011. He didn’t make the Chargers final roster, but he signed with the San Francisco 49ers, where he was on the roster for two years. In 2012, the 49ers went to the Super Bowl with Tolzien as their third-string signal-caller.
After San Francisco released Tolzien at the conclusion of the following preseason, he signed with the Packers. Over three seasons, he appeared in six games. Tolzien went 0-1-1 as a starter and posted 721 passing yards with one touchdown and five interceptions in Green Bay.
Tolzien finished his NFL playing career with the Indianapolis Colts. He started one game in both the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
Tolzien began his coaching career as a Wisconsin analyst during 2019. He then moved to the NFL under McCarthy in 2020.
Mike McCarthy to Call Plays for Steelers Offense
Given the McCarthy hire wasn’t met with the warmest reception in Pittsburgh, Steelers fans probably feel uneasy that the team’s first two candidates for offensive coordinator don’t have any experience as an OC.
But it’s important to note Pittsburgh’s next offensive coordinator won’t call plays. That job will belong to McCarthy.
“Definitely. I will call the plays on offense, so I will run the offense,” said McCarthy in his introductory press conference Tuesday.
That isn’t to say the offensive coordinator role won’t still be important for the Steelers. The team’s OC might have to juggle trying to help the team’s starter succeed while developing a young project such as Howard.
But the next Steelers offensive coordinator won’t also hold the responsibility of play-caller.
Steelers Set to Interview Ex-Packers QB for Offensive Coordinator Role: Report