The AFC North continues to go through changes throughout this offseason. With the Cincinnati Bengals making the Super Bowl, the division seems to have flipped upside down.
- The Baltimore Ravens failed to make the playoffs and moved on from defensive coordinator Wink Martindale.
- The Cleveland Browns failed to make the playoffs and are seemingly at a crossroads in 2022 with QB Baker Mayfield on the last year of his rookie contract. The team hopes he “bounces back” this year.
- The Pittsburgh Steelers made the playoffs but were eliminated quickly and QB Ben Roethlisberger and defensive coordinator Keith Butler retired.
The Ravens and Steelers have hired their replacements for Martindale, Mike Macdonald, and Butler, Teryl Austin, and now Pittsburgh has added another big name coach to their defensive staff:
We have named Brian Flores as our senior defensive assistant/linebackers.
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) February 19, 2022
Flores, the former Miami Dolphins head coach, was interviewed for a number of top jobs this offseason. He has also filed a lawsuit against the NFL that is still early in the process.
With the Steelers, Flores will be reunited with safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick bristled at his role in Miami under Flores before being traded to Pittsburgh. While Flores will be mostly focused on linebackers, he will be engaged with Fitzpatrick at times.
