Browns Set to Bring in Former Steelers Assistant Matt Baker as QB Coach

The Cleveland Browns are expected to add a familiar AFC North face to their coaching staff, with former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive assistant Matt Baker reportedly joining the team as an assistant quarterbacks coach.

Baker’s football journey has been anything but linear, and that’s part of what makes this move intriguing. A former quarterback himself, Baker spent the past two seasons in Pittsburgh, where he shifted back to the offensive side of the ball after a stint as a special teams assistant with the Atlanta Falcons under Arthur Smith.

Before his coaching days, Baker was slinging passes at North Carolina from 2002 to 2005. He led the ACC in passing during his senior year, showcasing the kind of field vision and understanding of the game that would eventually translate into coaching. Though he never appeared in a regular-season NFL game, Baker bounced around the league from 2006 to 2009, logging time on practice squads and offseason rosters with six different teams: the Texans, Cowboys, Saints, Cardinals, Dolphins, and Bills.

His coaching career officially kicked off in 2010 as a graduate assistant at Ole Miss, but Baker then took a lengthy detour outside of football, working in the energy sector before eventually returning to the game in 2019. That comeback started at Western Michigan, where he served as an offensive analyst and quarterbacks coach. From there, he took on the role of quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator at Division III John Carroll University – a program that’s quietly become a pipeline for NFL coaching and executive talent.

John Carroll’s alumni list reads like a who’s who of NFL minds: GMs Tom Telesco and Nick Caserio, coaches like Greg Roman, Brandon Staley, Josh McDaniels, and current Steelers quarterbacks coach Tom Arth, who once served as both offensive coordinator and head coach at JCU. Baker spent three years developing quarterbacks there before being hired by Arthur Smith for his one-year run with the Falcons.

Baker’s move to Cleveland comes amid a broader reshuffling in Pittsburgh. After Mike Tomlin stepped away from the team on January 13, Steelers brass gave their assistants the green light to explore other opportunities. The message was clear: unless the new head coach wanted them back, they were free to move on.

So far, only a few familiar faces have been retained by new head coach Mike McCarthy. Quarterbacks coach Tom Arth and linebackers coach Scott McCurley are staying put, while defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander was originally expected to remain but ultimately took a job with the Minnesota Vikings as their defensive pass game coordinator and DBs coach.

The exodus has been swift. Of all the Steelers’ coordinators and position coaches from 2025, only three – defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, outside linebackers coach Denzel Martin, and wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni – remain unsigned.

For the Browns, Baker brings not just AFC North familiarity, but a unique blend of playing experience, coaching versatility, and a deep understanding of quarterback development. He’s walked the long road back to the NFL sidelines, and now he gets a shot to help shape the next chapter of Cleveland’s quarterback room.