New Piece Of The Steelers' Offensive Staff Receives Highest Praise: "It's Long Overdue"

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the most consistent organizations in all of sports, and that stretches from the results that are seen on the field all the way to the people that are associated with the franchise. Pittsburgh is loyal, and there is a reason the team is so well-respected throughout the rest of the NFL as the organization has had just four head coaches since 1969. There were some Pittsburgh fans that had never seen a change at head coach in their lifetime, but all of that changed after the 2025 season concluded as Mike Tomlin stepped down from his role with the organization.

Much of the fan base had been calling for Tomlin's job for years, and change finally came at the position. Fans wanted a young guy to take over the team, but the organization hired Pittsburgh native Mike McCarthy, which was not a popular move at first. The fan base has come around on McCarthy, and he did a great job filling out his staff. The organization also had one of the best performances throughout free agency as many of the signings and other additions were praised on a national scale. 

One of McCarthy's hires was Brian Angelichio, who was brought on to be the offensive coordinator. McCarthy is going to be calling plays throughout games, but Angelichio is still going to be around to help game-plan and aid McCarthy. Angelichio was previously with the Minnesota Vikings, and his former head coach, Kevin O'Connell, praised him while speaking to the media on Monday morning.

"Yeah, Ang is a guy I've coached with him in multiple spots, in multiple systems," O'Connell said. "What always kept coming out was similar philosophical beliefs on how you attack people, specifically in the pass game. But Ang has a really good understanding of the run game, how to marry the two together."

Angelichio was on O'Connell's staff for four seasons, and he was the team's passing game coordinator and tight ends coach. That experience is great for the Steelers as the franchise has never really had a traditional passing game coordinator. As a non-play-calling offensive coordinator, his job will probably be similar to what he was doing in Minnesota. Marrying the run and the pass will be important, and he should be a big part of the offense in 2026.

Angelichio does not fall under the umbrella of being a young, innovative offensive mind. He does not come from one of the coveted coaching trees that seem to highlight every hiring cycle, but he does have plenty of experience. That is going to be important for the Steelers, and O'Connell believes this is an opportunity that Angelichio should have gotten a while ago.

"He is so prepared for this opportunity," O'Connell said. "It's long overdue for him to get to coordinate. It's one of those things where you wish you could just keep guys like Ang. Selfishly, you wish you could keep them forever. But part of being a good head coach is hiring good coaches, and unfortunately, the rest of the league starts to notice their potential and they get the opportunities that they deserve. Ang is going to do a great job for Mike."

Angelichio actually does have some experience coaching under McCarthy. He was on McCarthy's staff from 2016 through 2018 while with the Green Bay Packers, and Angelichio served as McCarthy's tight ends coach in that situation. The two will now be reuniting, this time with Angelichio taking on a new role.

Steelers Now Have A New Approach

The Steelers have always been led by a defensive-minded head coach, but that changed when the organization went out and hired McCarthy. This is a major change for the organization, and he went our and brought in some of the best offensive minds from around the league. The league has been trending towards the offensive side of the ball, and that could have been a reason that the Steelers struggled in that area in recent years. Hopefully things change under this new leadership with Angelichio coordinating the offense.

What do you think about O'Connell's comments? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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