It appears Mike Tomlin is close to making his hire of wide receivers coach. And contrary to reports last weekend, it won't be South Carolina wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon.
Reports out of South Carolina surfaced last weekend that McClendon was going to be hired by the Steelers to replace interim wide receivers coach Ray Sherman. Sherman took over after coach Darryl Drake died in August at Saint Vincent College.
But Tomlin continued his process, interviewing former Steelers receiver and Carolina Panthers' assistant wide receivers coach Jerricho Cotchery for the job.
McClendon has apparently informed South Carolina that he'll be back in 2020.
#Gamecocks wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon is staying on staff despite flirtations from the NFL plus we have the latest on South Carolina's staff structure and next expected hire https://t.co/oIUnB6FrKS
— GamecockCentral.com (@GamecockCentral) February 14, 2020
That would seem to imply Cotchery will be the hire.
The Steelers have a very young receiving corps, led by JuJu Smith-Schuster, who is heading into his fourth season. James Washington and Diontae Johnson, who just finished their second and first seasons in the league, respectively.
Cotchery, 37, has been a member of the coaching staff with the Panthers since 2017, following his retirement from the NFL in 2015.
He spent 12 seasons in the NFL playing with three teams, including the Steelers from 2011 through 2013.
Cotchery finished his career with 524 receptions for 6,623 yards and 34 touchdowns. His best season came in 2007 with the Jets, when he caught 82 passes for 1,130 yards.
The Steelers signed Cotchery to essentially replace Hines Ward as a leader among their wide receivers. He was lauded for his veteran presence in the team's locker room before leaving as a free agent in 2014 to sign with the Panthers, where he played his final two seasons.
A former N.C. State star, Cotchery was a fourth-round draft pick of the Jets in 2004.
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