Wednesday’s “First Call” has names to watch for both of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ open coordinator positions. We also look at a busy night of local college basketball for both Robert Morris and Duquesne.
Plus, RMU’s hockey team gets some well-earned recognition after an important series sweep over the weekend.
Looking at Lunda
A name has emerged as a potential offensive coordinator for Mike McCarthy. It’s Lunda Wells.
That news comes from ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Wells is the current Dallas Cowboys tight ends coach. He was on the Dallas staff for five years under Mike McCarthy as well.
Cowboys tight ends coach Lunda Wells is expected to interview this week for the Steelers offensive coordinator job,
Wells worked under Steelers HC Mike McCarthy in Dallas for five years, and interviewed this month for the Commanders OC job. He also is head coach for the west…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 27, 2026
Prior to his arrival in Dallas, Wells had been a tight ends, assistant offensive line and quality control coach for the New York Giants from 2012-19.
At the college level, Wells had multiple jobs at LSU from 2008-11. Plus, he coached the West team to a 21-17 win in the East-West Shrine Bowl on Tuesday.
During his press conference on Tuesday, McCarthy stated that he plans on calling the plays on offense. So that’s one duty Wells wouldn’t have to absorb with his new title here.
On the other side
Meanwhile, a former Steeler has come up as a candidate to be the team’s defensive coordinator.
According to Mark Kaboly of “The Pat McAfee Show,” Jason Simmons is getting consideration to replace Teryl Austin in that role.
Simmons is the defensive pass game coordinator in Washington. He’s held that job for two years. The Commanders’ pass defense struggled this year, yielding 242.5 yards per game through the air. That was 28th in the NFL.
Simmons was an assistant on Mike McCarthy’s staff in Green Bay from 2011-18. While there, he was a defensive backs coach and special teams assistant.
The 49-year-old Simmons was a defensive back for the Steelers between 1998-2001. He then went to Houston and played for the Texans from 2002-07.
A fifth-round pick out of Arizona State by the Steelers, Simmons totaled 49 games in Pittsburgh with 72 tackles. He played 72 games in Houston, where he picked up two interceptions and two sacks along with 169 tackles.
In between Green Bay and Washington, Simmons also had stops as a defensive pass game coordinator in Carolina and Las Vegas.
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Thawing out
The Duquesne men’s basketball team will trudge through the snow on campus to host St. Bonaventure on Wednesday night. Tipoff at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse is at 7 p.m.
The Dukes come in at 11-9 (3-4 in the Atlantic 10). The Bonnies are 12-8 (1-6 A-10). St. Bonaventure took two of the three meetings last year. Each team won on its home floor in the regular season, with the Bonnies claiming a 64-59 victory during the A-10 Tournament last year.
Both clubs have played their most recent games against St. Louis and Loyola-Chicago. The Dukes dropped a tight 81-77 contest at home to the Billikens last week before knocking off the Ramblers on the road 71-59 on Saturday.
Tarence Guinyard had a team-high 23 points.
Game highlights vs Loyola Chicago ???? pic.twitter.com/YabNefBSSj
— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) January 25, 2026
Meanwhile, Mark Schmidt’s club also lost to St. Louis, 97-62, after defeating the Ramblers, 84-70. Schmidt coached at Robert Morris from 2001-2007.
As for the Duquesne women’s basketball team (7-13, 0-9), they look to snap an eight-game losing streak in Richmond (16-4, 6-1) at 6 p.m.
Colonial connection
Robert Morris’ men’s team (13-9, 5-6 Horizon League) plays Wednesday as well. The Colonials are hosting IU Indianapolis. That game starts at 7 p.m. at the UPMC Events Center.
The Jaguars are only 6-16, 2-9 in the Horizon League, but one of their wins was a 96-93 overtime victory over RMU in Indy on Jan. 15. The teams combined to make 61 field goals that night.
The RMU women’s team lost 60-46 Tuesday night at Purdue Fort Wayne.
As for the RMU men’s hockey team, coach Derek Schooley’s group earned some honors on Tuesday. Dominic Elliott was named Atlantic Hockey Defenseman of the Week, and Lucas Massie is the conference’s goalie of the week.
Those two were significant contributors as the Colonials swept Holy Cross with two wins (5-2, 1-0) last weekend at the Island Sports Center.
Elliott blocked 14 shots and dished out three assists. Massie pitched a 1-0 shutout on Saturday. He stopped 57 of 59 shots, posting a .966 save percentage and a 1.00 goals-against average on the weekend.
The Colonials (7-15, 7-8-1) host Bentley on Friday and Saturday night at Clearview Arena. The Falcons (11-11-2, 9-5-2) are atop Atlantic Hockey with 38 points. RMU is in sixth with 25.
The women’s team plays No. 4 Penn State in an outdoor game at Beaver Stadium on Friday.