For the Pittsburgh Steelers, head coach, offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator are the most talked about coaching positions, and understandably so. While these staffing positions' success and game planning are key in order to win, it is a team effort all the way around and positional coaches play a huge role as well. Pittsburgh needs to improve in several areas that were subpar in 2021. It all starts with the leadership and who is in charge of the respective units.
Here are the most important positional coaches for Mike Tomlin's team in 2022:
1.) Pat Meyer - Steelers Offensive Line Coach
The Steelers hired Meyer back in February. The veteran coach has 20 years of coaching experience, but hasn't always had an offensive line that was a team's strong suit. Most recently, he was the offensive line coach for the Carolina Panthers who didn't have a great unit up front in 2021.
FWIW, the Carolina Panthers were 29th in the league with a 50% Team Pass Block Win Rate in 2021.
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) February 15, 2022
Panthers were 26th in a Run Block Win Rate of 68%.
The Steelers were 31st and 30th in the respective categories. https://t.co/VNoLkSRliG
Meyer has a tough task ahead of him as Pittsburgh will be presumably starting two new offensive linemen at center and right guard (Mason Cole and James Daniels respectively), all while having to gel with what is likely to be a brand new face at quarterback. Pass protection will be important, but the rushing attack will show us if Meyer has made a difference.
The offense averaged just 3.9 yards per carry last season which was fourth worst in the NFL and the worst among all playoff teams. The defense will keep the team is games this season, but a new and improved offensive line behind Meyer's leadership could help turn the Steelers into a contender in the AFC.
2.) Eddie Faulkner - Steelers Running Backs Coach
Faulkner is beginning his fourth season as the head of the running backs room. He has a stud in the making with Najee Harris, but judgment on his performance and leadership this season should revolve around the other guys in the room. There was virtually no trust for anyone other than Harris.
Pittsburgh Steelers fullback Derek Watt (44) and Running Back Najee Harris(22) participate in Organized Team Activities (OTAs) Tuesday May 31, 2022 at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. (Abigail Dean/Pittsburgh Steelers)
Benny Snell Jr. was second on the team with a whopping 98 yards on the ground in 2021.
Meyer and Faulkner are the two most important positional coaches for the upcoming season. If there is improvement in both rooms, the offense will have a completely different look and may be even fun to watch on a consistent basis.
3.) Grady Brown - Steelers Secondary Coach
Brown will be entering his second year as the team's secondary coach. The defense was middle of the pack in 2021 with 13 interceptions, but scored zero points. Planning for Joe Burrow and Josh Allen, among others, will be no easy task and the secondary will be an integral part of the defense's success.
Brown lands on this list due to his experience. This will be just his second season coaching in the NFL and the rapport he has built with last year's secondary and the new faces added this off-season will show on the field if the unit trusts in his coaching style. The Steelers only allowed 215 passing yards a game in 2021, but that is due to the rushing defense being exploited week in and week out. Tyson Alualu back in the lineup should help with forcing offenses into longer 3rd down situations and teams may pass more on the defense in 2022.
Brown is a young coach and could be a part of the organization for a long time, but much of that will depend on the unit's effectiveness over the course of the next few years. More turnovers from his group, some points scored and better tackling are where he needs to start in 2022.
Which positional coaches do you think will be the most important for the Steelers in 2022? Let us know in the comments below!
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