Former Steelers Assistant Under Fire For Contributing To Mike Tomlin's Ultimate Demise

The Pittsburgh Steelers are often recognized as being one of the most loyal franchises in all of professional sports. Despite not having a postseason victory since the end of the 2016 season, it never truly felt as if Mike Tomlin's job was ever in any real jeopardy. It seemed as if he pretty much got sick of the constant criticism and wanted to step away, which did indeed happen after a 30-6 playoff loss to the Houston Texans in January of 2026. Fans in the Steel City certainly will always appreciate him for his tenure, but the message appeared to have grown very stale.

The inconsistencies that have plagued the Steelers of late have not been present in just one area. The offense has played well one week, but the defense would falter, and vice versa. When the meaningful playoff matchups commenced, the defense had almost no answers year in and year out. This was especially highlighted when Derrick Henry ran for 186 yards and two touchdowns back in the 2024 postseason.

The front seven is supposed to always be a strength for Pittsburgh; however, that hasn't always been the case dating back to 2016 or so. Tomlin always had a very significant hand in what went on regarding that side of the ball, so he deserves a lot of the blame for when things went wrong. That doesn't mean, however, that others shouldn't be held accountable.

Karl Dunbar took the reins as the Steelers' defensive line coach in 2018. He was a trusted advisor of Tomlin's, but his unit did not always live up to expectations, particularly in big games. Looking back, it's fair to acknowledge that it could have been more than just the former head coach's message that ended up going stale. In a fan chat for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, insider Ray Fittipaldo put some of the blame directly on Dunbar.

"You know how I always said things got stale under Tomlin for the past few seasons? Well, I think the same can be applied to his assistant coaches, especially those who had been around a while like Dunbar," Fittipaldo wrote.

Even though Pittsburgh has had some stout interiors — led by Cam Heyward — the big moments seemed to be too large for the positional group. Now, Domata Peko will be given the responsibility of getting these contributors ready for the brightest lights. It could be what ends up leading to postseason success for the Steelers for the first time in essentially a decade.

Pittsburgh focused a lot during the 2026 offseason on improving the secondary, but the addition of Sebastian Joseph-Day could also prove to be worthwhile. The Steelers will face plenty of stout rushing attacks moving forward, so the combination of some fresh personnel and Peko's leadership could turn everything around. This would be another rough look for both Tomlin and Dunbar.

The previous regime was hesitant to make changes to the coaching staff and also possessed one of the smallest staffs in the NFL. With wholesale changes occurring across almost every positional group, fans could see a defense that develops into one of the NFL's best. Patrick Graham will lead the unit as a whole, so his hiring could arguably be the most important that was made during the offseason.

Steelers May Have Needed To Let Go Of Dunbar A Lot Sooner

Dunbar was not retained when the new staff was brought in, and that speaks to a little bit about his previous successes, or lack thereof, as the leader of Pittsburgh's defensive line. 

Fans in the Steel City are due for changes across the board, and Peko's arrival could prove to be a very important change of pace. Messages can get stale, and it appears that it wasn't just Tomlin who could have been losing the locker room a little bit. The goal for the Steelers now should be to prove that the new regime is ready to put away all past reputations that may have been unfavorable.

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