The Pittsburgh Steelers overhauled their coaching staff this offseason. With Mike Tomlin stepping down, most of his staff found themselves unemployed. Mike McCarthy brought in many of his own coaches, including veteran offensive line coach James Campen. Campen was in that same role with the Green Bay Packers for over a decade, developing several Pro Bowl players. Zach Frazier gave a quick assessment of Campen so far. He appreciates that the coach isn’t completely changing how the Steelers’ linemen operate.
“He’s been great,” Frazier said Thursday via the team’s website. “A lot of new drills. We’ve gotten along [well] so far. I’m excited to work with him this year… He just wants to help us out however he can. He’s not trying to reinvent the wheel. He’s gonna let us play.”
Campen replaces Pat Meyer in Pittsburgh, who coached the team’s offensive line from 2022 to 2025. Therefore, he was the only coach that the Steelers’ young offensive linemen had known during their time in the NFL.
It would be easy for Campen to come in and try to force Pittsburgh’s linemen to adjust to his proven methods and preferences. However, most of the Steelers’ linemen have shown positive growth in recent years, and it might not be ideal to rework them completely.
That doesn’t mean Campen won’t have an impact on the Steelers’ linemen, though. Green Bay’s offensive line was one of its greatest strengths during his time there. He developed players such as Josh Sitton, T.J. Lang, Bryan Bulaga, and David Bakhtiari. Only one of those players was a first-round pick, too. The other three were fourth-round selections.
In contrast, the Steelers’ offensive line is full of high draft picks. Troy Fautanu and Max Iheanachor were both first-round picks, and Frazier came in the second round. Campen has plenty of talent to work with, and it sounds like he’s developing a good relationship with them.
We’ll see if the Steelers’ offensive line continues to take ascend under Campen’s watch. Meyer had his faults, but he helped players like Frazier and Mason McCormick find their footing in the NFL. They have a decent foundation set. Campen merely needs to build upon it.