Former Steelers Coach Receives Shocking Praise Despite Constant Struggles

When the Pittsburgh Steelers brought in Head Coach Mike McCarthy, one of the very first things he did was tear down the previous coaching staff and install a brand new one. That area of the team definitely needed an overhaul, especially with how low the coordinators and position coaches were ranked in the 2026 NFLPA Report Card compared to every other team's ranking in that regard. It will likely take time for everyone to get on the same page, but all these new ideas should be a boost to the team. 

Some coaches received a lot more criticism from fans and the media than others, but one of those men may not have been as bad as everyone thought. In his weekly Q&A chat, insider Ray Fittipaldo revealed how the team feels about this one particular coach despite all the backlash he constantly received.

"The linemen have said there are some differences in how [the offensive line coaches] teach technique, etc.," Fittipaldo said. "I think that's the case with every offensive line coach. Everyone comes from a different background. The feedback I got from linemen was they had a good base of knowledge from [Pat] Meyer and now [James] Campen is adding to it. Campen went out of his way to say the linemen were well-taught under Meyer when I interviewed him last month."

Of all the position coaches on Mike Tomlin's staff at the end of his career, no one seemed to catch more strays than Pat Meyer. It didn't help that he inherited a rebuilding group that was not growing as fast as expected. In the 2024 season alone, his offensive tackles each led the league in sacks allowed after combining for 23 on the year. That does not look like great coaching. 

However, there still seems to be some respect for Meyer in the locker room, even after he left. New offensive line coach James Campen is impressed with the knowledge that these linemen had entering the 2026 season. If everything that is being reported is true, the first-year Steelers position coach is able to get into the more complicated part of teaching his players much sooner than he expected. 

To everyone's point, the offensive line did look significantly better in 2025. There were very few complaints about the interior, if any. In his first healthy season, then-right tackle Troy Fautanu established himself as a top-tier blocker while keeping his side of the line very clean. The hope is that Campen can help him keep that up on the left side, but early reports are not optimistic there. 

Even Broderick Jones, whose issues have been well-documented, was developing well as a blindside blocker. He wasn't great, but legitimate progress was being made until a brutal neck injury undid everything. Dylan Cook stepped up in his place and performed very well to finish the season. Maybe Meyer was never as bad as it seemed like early on in his tenure.

Steelers' Offensive Line Is Still Full Of Concerns

Training camp and preseason have not been great for Campen's unit. Everyone switched sides to begin the 2026 season so that they can plug-and-play first-round rookie Max Iheanachor whenever he's ready. The Steelers value versatility, but they may be going too far into it for their own good. We'll see how everything plays out in Week 1 against a weaker defensive line, but this could be a long season if they don't gel together quickly.

What do you think about the Steelers having loads of respect for how Meyer ran the offensive line throughout his tenure? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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