Steelers-Vikings trade coaches

Maybe the Steelers can get Adrian Peterson as a player to be named later?

Just two days after Kirby Wilson was hired as Minnesota's running backs coach, Mike Tomlin hired the man Wilson is replacing, James Saxon, to take Wilson's old job.

Saxon, an eight-year NFL veteran, has previously coached with Miami, Kansas City and Buffalo before spending the previous three seasons with the Vikings.

He was fired along with the rest of the staff when Leslie Frazier was not retained at the end of the 2013 season.

Saxon will be tasked with helping the continued growth of Le'Veon Bell, who set a Steelers' rookie record with 1,259 yards from scrimmage in 2013 despite missing the first three games of the year with a sprained foot.

He knows a little something about running backs coming back strong from injuries. In 2012, Peterson rushed for more than 2,000 yards despite being less than a year removed from tearing his ACL late in the 2011 season.

Saxon will also likely take a big role in helping decide who will also be on Pittsburgh's roster at running back in 2014.

Jonathan Dwyer, Felix Jones and LaRod Stephens-Howling, Bell's backups in 2013, are all scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in March.

@ The Steelers signed a wide receiver, Danny Coale, to a futures contract today.

He's an interesting prospect. A fifth-round pick of the Cowboys in 2012, Coale was a speedy wideout out Virginia Tech who's had some tough injury issues. First, he suffered a broken toe during a conditioning drill in 2012, then he suffered a torn ACL during practice later that season.

He was waived at the end of training camp in 2013 and spent some time on Indianapolis' practice squad.

The 6-0, 200-pound Coale ran a 4.37 40 at his pro day a couple of years ago and started 54 of 55 career games at Virginia Tech.

By the way, he's also the son-in-law of Steelers broadcaster Tunch Ilkin.