The New York Jets announced that they’ve officially hired former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive line coach Karl Dunbar for the same role. Dunbar was with the Steelers from 2018-2025, and he was one of the best coaches on their staff. Unfortunately, with Mike Tomlin stepping down, the Steelers opted to move on from most of their previous coaching staff.

We’ve hired Karl Dunbar as our defensive line coach.

— New York Jets (@nyjets) February 4, 2026

Now, Dunbar joins a struggling Jets team. The Jets were one of the worst teams in the league last year, going 3-14. First-year head coach Aaron Glenn struggled, which led to many changes after the season ended.

Dunbar is a coaching veteran. He got his first NFL coaching job in 2004, and he’s worked with plenty of talented players over the years. That includes Pro Football Hall of Famer Jared Allen.

In fact, this is Dunbar’s second stint as the Jets’ defensive line coach. He was previously with them in that role from 2012-2014. During that time, he helped develop players like Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson, and Damon Harrison. He was successful then, and perhaps he’ll repeat that in New York again.

The Jets have some talent on their defensive line, though. That includes former first-round picks Will McDonald IV and Jermaine Johnson II. Dunbar developed several quality players with the Steelers, including helping Cam Heyward elevate his game even more. He should be able to draw out the potential of young players like McDonald and Johnson.

The Steelers replaced Dunbar with a less experienced name in Domata Peko. Peko’s coaching career only began in 2024 as a defensive assistant for the Dallas Cowboys. Then, he was the defensive line coach for the University of Colorado last year.

However, Peko played defensive line in the league from 20o6-2020. He spent much of that time with the Cincinnati Bengals, and Ben Roethlisberger vouched for him as a respectable person. While he doesn’t have Dunbar’s track record, he could be a solid addition to Pittsburgh’s staff.

We’ll see how Dunbar does with the Jets. They’ll need to find more success as a team in 2026, though. Otherwise, that entire coaching staff could be on the way out. It’s rare for a regime to survive back-to-back years as one of the NFL’s worst teams. Hopefully, they have some success for Dunbar’s sake.