The 2025 season didn’t end well for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They got crushed in the playoffs once again. However, there are some reasons for optimism, with one being their offensive line. That’s a relatively young unit, but it played well this season. That’s a credit to Pat Meyer and Isaac Williams, who coached that group. While neither was retained by Mike McCarthy, Dylan Cook is still thankful for them.
“That was the cool part about the Pittsburgh o-line coaches, Pat Meyer and Isaac Williams,” Cook said Friday on the Deep Ball podcast. “They understood none of us are the same. They got to know us as players individually and then be like, ‘When you do this, it works better for you.’
“It wouldn’t be like, ‘Watch Broderick Jones here.’ It’d be like, ‘Dylan, watch yourself here and then watch yourself on this play and tell me what was different.’ I’m gonna miss those guys.”
Meyer joined the Steelers in 2022, and he was a frequent target of criticism. The Steelers were trying to rebuild their offensive line, but that unit didn’t always look great. However, the Steelers spent the last few years investing a lot of draft capital in their offensive line. Many of those players started to flourish this year under Meyer and Williams.
That includes Cook, who was an undrafted free agent in 2022. This was actually his first season playing in an actual NFL game, and he didn’t look out of place. The Steelers dealt with a lot of injuries at left tackle toward the end of the year. That thrust Cook into action in Week 14 against the Baltimore Ravens.
Cook had to jump on a moving train, but the Steelers didn’t miss a beat. You could argue that he was the Steelers’ best left tackle in 2025. Zach Frazier, Mason McCormick, and Troy Fautanu all took steps forward, too. Meyer and Williams deserve credit for that.
However, that wasn’t enough for them to keep their jobs in Pittsburgh. McCarthy is reportedly bringing James Campen in as the offensive line coach and Jahri Evans as the assistant offensive line coach.
Campen has been coaching in the NFL since 2004, and he’s developed a handful of quality linemen. Meanwhile, Evans is just getting started in his coaching career, but he was an excellent player before that. He made several All-Pro teams and Pro Bowls.
It didn’t take Meyer long to land on his feet, either. He’s now the Buffalo Bills’ offensive line coach. While fans might’ve been frustrated by him at times, he set a nice foundation for the front of the Steelers’ offense. Hopefully, Campen and Evans can build on that.