Mike McCarthy is starting to fill out his Pittsburgh Steelers coaching staff. It’s been reported that they’re close to hiring a defensive coordinator. Also, McCarthy is set to keep several members of the Steelers’ previous staff. However, there’s still work to be done. Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette shared two more coaches McCarthy is targeting.
“Other top candidates McCarthy is looking to add to his staff are former Packers offensive line coach James Campen and former Cowboys assistant line coach Ramon Chinyoung,” Dulac wrote Wednesday on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s website. “Campen, 61, was with McCarthy for each of his 13 seasons in Green Bay – beginning as an assistant offensive line coach/run game coordinator.
“Chinyoung has been with the Cowboys since McCarthy hired him in 2023.”
It’s no surprise that McCarthy is targeting coaches with whom he’s familiar. That’s been a trend with most of the coaches who have been connected to the Steelers. And considering he has decades of NFL coaching experience, McCarthy isn’t short on contacts.
As Dulac notes, Campen and McCarthy were together for more than a decade in Green Bay. Campen actually joined the Packers before McCarthy got there in 2004. His most recent NFL job was as the Carolina Panthers’ offensive line coach in 2022 and 2023. He’s also spent time with the Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, and Houston Texans.
Meanwhile, Chinyoung has less NFL experience. He broke into the league in 2022 as an offensive quality control coach for the Denver Broncos. Then, McCarthy brought him to the Dallas Cowboys in 2023. Chinyoung has been their assistant offensive line and quality control coach since then.
Both men look like solid options to help develop the Steelers’ young offensive line. Campen produced plenty of above-average linemen during his time with the Packers. They include David Bakhtiari, T.J. Lang, and Josh Sitton. The Cowboys have also invested resources into their offensive line in recent years, and that group is coming along nicely.
Pairing the veteran Campen with the young Chinyoung tracks with what McCarthy said he looks for in a staff. One is more proven, while the other is younger and hungry. However, it remains to be seen if McCarthy will be able to land both of them.