The Steelers have appointed Ray Sherman as interim wide receivers coach for the upcoming season.
The move comes in the wake of the unexpected death of former wide receivers coach Darryl Drake earlier this month.
We have named Ray Sherman interim wide receivers coach for the 2019 season.
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) August 22, 2019
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Drake, who was 62, was in his second season with the Steelers after previously serving as the wide receivers coach for the Bears from 2004-12 and the Cardinals from 2013-17.
While third-year receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster took Drake's passing particularly hard, he commended Sherman for quickly connecting with the players.
“A guy who has been here,” Smith-Schuster said in a release from the Steelers. “He has coached everybody from Jerry Rice to young guys like us. It’s the best opportunity to have him step up and play that role for us. Also, Blaine (Stewart) is doing a great job. It just takes all of us together. We are in this together.
“To go through this at a young age, 22 years old, there are no words that can explain what we are going through. For Ray, he was retired, for him to come out of his way to be here it means a lot not only to myself but to the receivers in the room. We don’t want to change that.”
Sherman, 67, hasn’t coached since he retired following the 2015 season but brings plenty of experience to the table for his second stint in Pittsburgh after previously serving as offensive coordinator in 1998.
He spent 14 years coaching in college football before transitioning to the NFL in 1988 as the running backs coach with the Houston Oilers. He also spent time with the Falcons, 49ers, Jets, Vikings, Packers, Titans, Cowboys and Rams.