MORGANTOWN, W.Va — Former Marshall and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Byron Leftwich is moving up in the NFL coaching hierarchy. He has been promoted to offensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals.
Leftwich is in his second season on the Cardinals staff. He served previously as Arizona’s quarterbacks coach. Leftwich was originally hired by former head coach Bruce Arians but was retained when Steve Wilks was hired in January.
Leftwich replaces Mike McCoy. The Arizona offense has struggled in their 1-6 start. The Cardinals are averaging just 13.1 points per game — 31st in the 32-team league — and they are last in total yards per game. Arizona was blown out by the Denver Broncos on Thursday night, 45-10.
Leftwich was the first-round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2003. He played nine seasons in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl ring with the Steelers in the 2008 season. He also played for the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
A native of Washington, D.C., Leftwich led Marshall to victories in the 2000 Motor City Bowl and the 2001 GMAC Bowl. He ranks second behind Chad Pennington on Marshall’s career passing yards list.