5 NFL coaches who could be fired during the 2019 season

DENVER, CO - NOVEMBER 25: Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers reacts to the play of his team against the Denver Broncos during the fourth quarter of the Broncos' 24-17 win on Sunday, November 25, 2018. The Denver Broncos hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post via Getty Images) /

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CINCINNATI, OH – OCTOBER 14: Mike Tomlin the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on October 14, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

1. Mike Tomlin

The Steelers are a franchise that does everything they can to achieve continuity at the head coaching position. Despite that philosophy, the team may be forced to part company with Tomlin before the 2019 season is done.

The franchise has gone all in on Tomlin and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger this offseason. Alleged locker room divas Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell were jettisoned for paltry returns. Tomlin has a firm belief that his team will experience addition by subtraction as a result.

That idea makes for great offseason sound bytes, but it doesn’t seem very logical. Brown was arguably the best receiver in football during his tenure with the Steelers. Bell wasn’t a traditional grinder at the running back position, but he was a Pro Bowl caliber player. in fairness, Pittsburgh did move the football reasonably well without him last year.

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The biggest threat to Tomlin’s job might be the potential success of the Cleveland Browns within his division. If an unproven coach like Freddie Kitchens can finish ahead of the Steelers next season, it’s going to reflect very poorly on the veteran coach. If the Browns put Pittsburgh away early, Steelers’ ownership may reluctantly choose to send Tomlin packing.