The Wisconsin Badgers continue to pop up all over the place in the NFL in the craziness of this year's coaching carousel. This time, it's both a former player and coach (tight ends coach in 2012) for the Wisconsin Badgers, Eddie Faulkner. He's leaving a position he's held at the Pittsburgh Steelers for seven years to coach the running backs for AFC North rival, the Baltimore Ravens.
Wisconsin fans will recognize Faulkner mostly from his playing days, as he was part of the stable of running backs for four years from 1996 to 2000. He rushed for 1,064 yards and seven touchdowns during that span.
The move is a bit unexpected but may actually be good for Faulkner.
After seven years with the Steelers, running backs coach Eddie Faulkner is expected to take the same job with the AFC North rival Ravens, per sources.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 3, 2026
Faulkner molded Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell in Pittsburgh. Now, he’ll team up with Derrick Henry. pic.twitter.com/vpxu85S6RM
Former Badger Eddie Faulkner is being hired to coach the running backs for the Baltimore Ravens
Related: Jim Leonhard continues to show that his Wisconsin roots run deep even in Buffalo
The unexpected part of the hire for Faulkner is not that he needed a new job; that happened when new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy brought in a former assistant he'd worked with before (in Dallas), Ramon Chinyoung. That left Faulkner unemployed and searching for a new spot. However, sliding over to an AFC North rival has to sting a little for Steelers fans.
A coach who was well respected and helped turn out impressive running back rooms year after year, and was even the interim offensive coordinator for a while, will now walk the sideline with a Ravens shirt on instead.
For Faulkner, it's a good move, not simply because he gets to keep coaching in the NFL, but he gets to be part of a new staff around young head coach Jesse Minter. Faulkner, who's now been a coach for over 20 years and about eight of those in the NFL. He will be instrumental in helping shape the culture of that team.