Steelers' James Campen Makes Revealing Admission About Controversial Offensive Line Moves

The Pittsburgh Steelers have an entirely different look heading into the 2026 season. First and foremost, new head coach Mike McCarthy is working hard to turn this team back into a Super Bowl contender. It is no secret that Steelers fans have grown tired of recent postseason failures, as Pittsburgh has not won a playoff game since the 2016 season. That is a narrative McCarthy will look to change quickly, with a playoff win in his first year in the Steel City.

To do that, he will need his staff to carry the load alongside him. During the latter stages of Mike Tomlin’s tenure leading the Steelers, one of the loudest criticisms from fans centered around the coaching staff he put in place. Several offensive and defensive coordinators watched as their talented and highly compensated groups continued to fall short season after season. One of those units that clearly underperformed for some time was the offensive line.

General Manager Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl have done excellent work over the past several seasons fortifying the trenches with young talent that can grow together. The Steelers drafted Troy Fautanu in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft and then selected center Zach Frazier in the second round of the same draft. Both players were expected to develop into stars, and they are already ahead of schedule in their progression. Another player who has surprised many and continues to establish himself as a starter on this line is fourth-round guard Mason McCormick.

Steelers insider Chris Carter recently uncovered key information regarding McCormick and Fautanu while speaking with new offensive line coach James Campen about a significant positional change via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Steelers are planning to flip both players from their previous roles on the right side, where Fautanu started at right tackle and McCormick at right guard last season, to the left side of the offensive line at left tackle and left guard this year.

"When we moved [McCormick], we kept them together. That was not an afterthought," Campen said during his time speaking with Carter on Tuesday. "Communication is very important. When you go from the left side to the right side ... it’s different and it takes time. You have to be adaptable and adjustable, and they are."

There has been plenty of debate about how impactful it can be to move developing young players to the opposite side of the offensive line so early in their NFL careers. In fact, many Steelers fans blamed the previous coaching staff for doing just that with several players, including Broderick Jones.

Jones was Khan's first draft pick after he traded up in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft to select the talented tackle. Of course, Jones has not quite lived up to expectations, but Khan has hit on other late-round selections like McCormick. He has also done an impressive job drafting the trenches, landing Fautanu, Frazier, while also finding value with players like Gennings Dunker in the 2026 NFL Draft. 

Steelers Investing In Continuity On The Offensive Line

Fautanu missed most of his rookie season in Pittsburgh because of injury, but he and McCormick developed chemistry during the 2025 campaign. According to Carter's research, the duo logged 1,088 snaps together on the Steelers' offensive line last season. 

It is clear that Campen and McCarthy want to preserve that continuity, only now on the left side of the line.

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