The Pittsburgh Steelers have went through a much-needed overhaul of their coaching staff during the 2026 offseason. While the group hasn't seen any collective action yet, Mike McCarthy's crew already looks much more promising than Mike Tomlin's. McCarthy has brought in some respectable names, including coaches like Patrick Graham, a widely-known defensive coach in the NFL, and Brian Angelichio, who came from an excellent offensive system with the Minnesota Vikings. The bar has been set low from previous seasons, but these two should be much better coordinators than what Steeler Nation is used to seeing.
Taylor Ollason / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham works with the defense during an Organized Team Activities (OTAs) workout in Pittsburgh, PA.
Perhaps the hiring that often goes under the radar is McCarthy reuniting with long-time offensive line coach James Campen. Campen spent 11 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, serving as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator.
Aaron Rodgers may have been the one winning MVPs, but his offensive line was exceptional, and now Campen will look to replicate that success with the Black and Gold. One Steelers insider recently spoke about McCarthy reuniting with Campen, mentioning that he's had unfortunate timing the past few years and now enters a stable organization.
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Steelers' coaches James Campen and Mike McCarthy talk during their time working in Green Bay.
Christopher Carter of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently appeared on an episode of Locked On, where he discussed the team's offensive line and, more specifically, its coach. Campen has bounced around to a few different teams and is now a part of a franchise that doesn't fire coaches. Carter went as far as to call this a "jackpot" situation for the Steelers, believing the investments in the offensive line, paired with Campen, can bring the unit back to the elite status.
"I think the Steelers may be in a jackpot situation, that you have a guy that knows what it takes to bring together an offensive line and who's hungry to do it," Carter said. "Because in the last several places that he's been, it just hasn't worked out that he's just been in with the coaching staff that have been brought in."
Campen left the Packers organization in 2018 when McCarthy was fired. He's since been to the Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans, and Carolina Panthers. During his stint with all of these teams, the head coach was fired, and, not only that, there was a failure to invest properly in the offensive lines. Now, Campen will have a head coach who isn't going anywhere any time soon, and a more-than-adequate investment in his unit.
Taylor Ollason / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers offensive lineman Gennings Dunker goes through a drill during the rookie minicamp while James Campen watches on.
Pat Meyer was hired as the Steelers' offensive line coach in 2022, and that road was a bumpy one. The offensive line was a below-average unit in 2022 and 2023; it didn't see any real improvement until 2024, when they spent a ton of draft capital on it.
To Meyer's credit, Mason McCormick and Troy Fautanu had very nice sophomore seasons, even with Fautanu missing almost his entire rookie year. Under Meyer, the offensive line had really slow starts; hopefully, under Campen, that will change.
Steelers' Unit Could Be Campen's Best
In Green Bay, Campen had some very solid offensive lines, with names like Corey Linsley, David Bakhtiari, and Brian Bulaga. In Pittsburgh, he will be inheriting one of the best centers in the game in Zach Frazier, McCormick, and Fautanu, who are young and ascending, and a first-round pick in Max Iheanachor.
The talent will be endless for Campen, as he also has players like Dylan Cook, who is fighting for a starting spot, Brock Hoffman, who was a quality backup for the Cowboys, and Gennings Dunker, a third-round pick.
Under Campen's watch, Pittsburgh's offensive line should be among the NFL's elite in the coming years, with plenty of draft capital being invested in the unit. His effect has already begun, with the offensive line being shuffled. It will be interesting to see where they're at in the coming seasons.
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