These 4 Steelers Coaches Have The Most To Prove During An Immense Transition Year

It's well-known that the Pittsburgh Steelers do not like to fire coaches. That has been the case for decades, and that's why some may believe that former team leader Mike Tomlin ended up stepping down. New Head Coach Mike McCarthy has come in and replaced nearly the entire staff in the hopes of turning the team around and getting it back to winning playoff games. If he and his staff fail, it will be hard to scapegoat the players. Specific assistants need to show their worths immediately if they want to stick around for a while. 

Tom Arth — Quarterbacks Coach

Tom Arth was one of only two coaches that stuck around from the previous coaching staff. It's well-known that McCarthy gets very involved with the quarterback position himself, which could be a problem for the man with the title of quarterbacks coach. The two men do have a great relationship, but that won't stop the nature of the business from continuing to be cruel as it usually is.

Everything is dependent on the development of the young passers. The goal is for Will Howard to show the team anything that would indicate that he can be a quality starter sometime while Drew Allar just tries to "re-install" his mechanics. If these things don't happen, Arth could be let go at the end of 2026 so McCarthy can be the one putting all his focus in giving the Steelers a franchise-caliber quarterback. 

Scott McCurley — Linebackers Coach

Scott McCurley is the another holdover from Tomlin's staff, and his seat is much hotter than Arth's. The linebacker corps has been drug through the mud all offseason long. Some analysts are shocked about Patrick Queen still being around while Payton Wilson has yet to play up to his potential in his first two seasons. The previous defensive staff has gotten a lot of blame for this, but that does not change how hot McCurley's seat is. 

Queen has to be more productive on a regular basis. He has been very inconsistent in his first two seasons in Pittsburgh while struggling to make any form of splash play. Meanwhile, Wilson needs to establish himself as a three-down linebacker if he wants to talk about extensions after the 2026 campaign If not, McCurley will be shown the door, and he'll have to take Queen with him out of the facilities.

Steelers Have 2 New Coaches That May Already Be On The Hot Seat

Running backs coach Ramon Chinyoung Sr. seems to already be on the hot seat, but it has nothing to do with the running back group. During the offseason program, Chinyoung brought up his head coach's plan for success, and McCarthy didn't seem to take that too kindly. This was a known strategy, but the team leader clearly did not want that vocalized and confirmed. 

The fact that Chinyoung has not been fired yet is a good sign that he can earn McCarthy's trust back. If this running back tandem can contribute as well or better than the units from previous years, all will be forgiven. If not, then the Steelers may be looking for a new running backs coach: particularly, one that doesn't spill the beans in the rare time he gets to speak with the media.

It's unclear whether special teams coordinator Danny Crossman was the one that wanted Derrius Swinton on the staff or if it was McCarthy. If it was the former, then there may be some trust issues after Swinton got fired for workplace misconduct. That would mean that Crossman himself won't be too far behind if he can't earn back that trust. If it was the head coach, then the special teams coordinator should be safe.

What do you think about the Steelers' coaches with the most to prove? Who would you put on this list? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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