Steelers Finalize Mike McCarthy’s First Coaching Staff
The Pittsburgh Steelers have finalized Mike McCarthy ’s first coaching staff with the team, the club announced on Thursday.
Here’s the full tally of the final staff, which stands at 21 members:
Offensive Coordinator – Brian Angelichio
Like most of the coaches hired by the Steelers this offseason, Brian Angelichio has a previous tie to both McCarthy and Pittsburgh. He coached for the Green Bay Packers with McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers from 2016-18. He also coached at Pitt from 2006-10.
Angelichio, 53, has been the Vikings passing game coordinator/tight ends coach since 2022. Prior to joining the Vikings, he was the Carolina Panthers tight ends coach from 2020-2021 and was the Washington Redskins tight ends coach in 2019.
Senior Offensive Assistant – Frank Cignetti Jr.
Former Pitt and IUP coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. is a veteran addition to McCarthy’s offensive staff. Cignetti was McCarthy’s quarterbacks coach in Green Bay in 2018.
Frank Cignetti is the younger brother of Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti. The older Cignetti led Indiana to an improbable 16-0 season that concluded with a National Championship title. The Cignettis’ father, Frank Cignetti Sr., was the head coach at IUP from 1986-2005. He also was West Virginia’s HC from 1976-79.
Offensive Line Coach- James Campen
James Campen , 61, will be the veteran on the offensive coaching staff. He was already on the coaching staff in Green Bay when McCarthy arrived in 2006, and the two stayed together all the way until McCarthy’s depart in 2018. Campen did not join him in Dallas, instead catching for the Cleveland Browns , Los Angeles Chargers , Houston Texans and Carolina Panthers over the last few years.
Quarterbacks Coach – Tom Arth
Tom Arth is one of three coaches to be retained from the final staff of Mike Tomlin. Arth played quarterback for McCarthy in Green Bay in 2006 and has been on the Steelers’ staff since 2024. He was previously the passing game specialist of the Los Angeles Chargers and the head coach at John Carroll, Chattanooga and Akron.
Running Backs Coach – Ramon Chinyoung
Ramon Chinyoung comes to the Steelers from the Dallas Cowboys, where he served as an assistant offensive line coach and offensive quality control coach under McCarthy in 2023-24, and then remained on the staff in 2025 under Brian Schottenheimer.
Wide Receivers Coach – Adam Henry
The Steelers brought Adam Henry in from the Buffalo Bills , where he spent the last three seasons as wide receivers coach. Before that, he spent one year at Indiana, and was wide receivers coach under McCarthy for the Cowboys from 2020-21.
Tight Ends Coach – Robert Kugler
The Steelers have hired New England Patriots assistant offensive line coach Robert Kugler as their next tight ends coach. Kugler is the son of former Steelers offensive line coach Sean Kugler. He transferred to North Allegheny from the Buffalo area when his father took the Steelers job in 2010.
Assistant Offensive Line Coach- Jahri Evans
A finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 as a player, Jahri Evans has been on the Saints coaching staff as an intern, offensive assistant and assistant offensive line coach since 2022. He played for McCarthy in his final NFL season in 2017 with the Packers.
Game Management Coach / Quarterbacks – Tim Berbenich
The Steelers have hired Tim Berbenich as a game management and quarterbacks coach. That is not a position the Steelers have ever previously staffed.
Berbenich, 46, had most recently been the passing game specialist and game management coach of the Atlanta Falcons . Berbenich has extensive NFL experience, getting his start with the New York Jets as an assistant under offensive coordinator Paul Hackett. Hackett also helped new McCarthy get his start, when both of them were at Pitt in the 1990s.
Offensive Quality Control – Eric Simonelli
The Steelers are hired TCU assistant linebackers coach Luke Simonelli for a role of the new staff of head coach McCarthy .
Simonelli spent just one season with the Horned Frogs, having previously spent five years on McCarthy’s staff with the Dallas Cowboys. With Dallas, Simonelli had a number of roles, including football research assistant, quality control coach, analytics, and head coach assistant.
Defensive Coordinator – Patrick Graham
Patrick Graham has extensive experience as an NFL defensive coordinator. The Yale alum is considered one of the brightest defensive-minded head coaches in the game, and has a reputation for doing more with less with some franchises that have not heavily invested in defense.
Graham mostly cut his teeth with Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots, but spent one season as McCarthy’s defensive coordinator with the Packers in 2018.
Assistant Head Coach/Secondary Coach – Joe Whitt Jr.
The Steelers are hiring former Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. as assistant head coach/secondary coach.
Whitt, 47, was on Mike McCarthy ‘s staff for 11 years in Green Bay (2008-18). He started out as a defensive quality control coach for one season before moving on as a cornerbacks coach for nine years He served as the Packers’ pass game coordinator in his last year under McCarthy in 2018.
Gerald Alexander was expected to be a holdover here, having worked for Graham with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024, but instead, he took a promotion to defensive passing game coordinator to work with Brian Flores once again in Minnesota .
Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs Coach – Jason Simmons
Jason Simmons also interviewed for the defensive coordinator position, but with the Washington Commanders making a chance at defensive coordinator, he was allowed to return to his former team, the Steelers, in a lateral move. Simmons got his coaching start for McCarthy’s Packers from 2011-19.
Inside Linebackers Coach – Scott McCurley
A New Castle, Pa., native, Scott McCurley has been coaching in the NFL since 2006. All but one of those seasons were under McCarthy. He stayed with him in Green Bay for 13 years and then moved to Dallas for four more. When McCarthy took the 2025 season off, McCurley came home to Pittsburgh, one year ahead of his longtime boss.
Defensive Line Coach – Domata Peko
The Steelers have hired former Cincinnati Bengals defensive lineman Domata Peko for their defensive line coach position.
Outside Linebackers Coach – C.J. Ah You
The Pittsburgh Steelers have hired Texas Tech outside linebackers coach C.J. Ah You for a position on their staff, news broke on Thursday. Ah You’s hiring comes after news came on Wednesday that the Steelers are hiring Montana State defensive coordinator Shawn Howe for a similar-sounding role. The breakdown of roles between the two is currently unclear.
Ah You, 43, has been at Texas Tech since 2022 as the team’s outside linebackers coach. He was also the interim defensive coordinator for the Red Raiders’ bowl game in 2024.
Defensive Assistant – Shawn Howe
The Pittsburgh Steelers hired Montana State defensive coordinator Shawn Howe as their outside linebackers coach.
Howe has been at Montana State since 2021, rapidly rising up the ranks for the Bobcats. He started out as defensive line coach and run game coordinator, became co-defensive coordinator in 2024 and full defensive coordinator in 2025.
Defensive Assistant – Pat Reilly
Pat Reilly served as an offensive assistant for the Houston Texans in 2025, helping them advance to the divisional round of the playoffs with a win over the Steelers. Before that, he was an assistant linebackers coach and defensive quality control coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2024-25).
Special Teams Coordinator – Danny Crossman
The Steelers hired Danny Crossman as their special teams coordinator.
Crossman, 59, was the Dolphins’ special teams coordinator for the last seven seasons. Prior to his time in Miami , he was the special teams coordinator for the Buffalo Bills (2013-18), Detroit Lions (2010-12) and Carolina Panthers (2007-09).
Senior Special Teams Assistant – Derius Swinton II
The Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to add Derius Swinton II as their senior special teams assistant special teams coach.
Swinton spent the previous three seasons as the Las Vegas Raiders’ assistant special teams coach. He’s also helped oversee special teams units with the Los Angeles Chargers (2021), Arizona Cardinals (2020), Chicago Bears (2015, 2017) and San Francisco 49ers (2016).
Chief of Staff – Steve Scarnecchia
The Steelers have hired former Atlanta Falcons chief of staff of coaching operations Steve Scarnecchia, the son of former New England Patriots legendary offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, for McCarthy’s new staff.
Strength and Conditioning Coaches – Mark Lovat, Grant Thorne, Abe Munayer, Justus Galac
The Steelers hired Mark Lovat as head strength and conditioning coach and Grant Thorne as an assistant, both of whom coached under McCarthy in Green Bay and were most recently with the Tennessee Titans . They also brought in Abe Munayer as an assistant and retained assistant Justus Galac.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Steelers Finalize Mike McCarthy’s First Coaching Staff
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