With the start of a new era for the Pittsburgh Steelers, we knew there would be major changes to the organization, starting with the coaching staff, following Mike Tomlin's departure. Mike McCarthy, the new Steelers head coach, is finalizing his coaching staff.
In the process, McCarthy is only keeping two of Tomlin's coaching hires around for the 2026 season: quarterback coach Tom Arth and inside linebacker coach Scott McCurley. The Steelers didn't have many coaches from Mike Tomlin's staff who were worth keeping, but Karl Dunbar was one of them.
The team permitted Dunbar, the longtime NFL defensive line coach, to look for employment elsewhere after Tomlin's departure. On Wednesday, the New York Jets announced that they have hired Dunbar to their coaching staff.
Dunbar was the Steelers' defensive line coach from 2018 to 2025. In his place, McCarthy signed Domata Peko as Pittsburgh's new defensive line coach. McCarthy worked with Peko briefly in Dallas in 2024.
While Steelers fans are looking forward to changes from a once-stagnant coaching staff, the team could miss Dunbar.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could regret letting DL coach Karl Dunbar leave
While the Steelers' defense has taken a step back in recent years, Dunbar has been one of the steady pieces on their coaching staff under Mike Tomlin. Since joining the team in 2018, Dunbar has worked with and been partially responsible for the development of players like Cameron Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, Javon Hargrave, and Keeanu Benton.
Early in his NFL coaching career, Dunbar coached high-profile names like Kevin Williams, Muhammad Wilkerson, and Jared Allen.
Just before joining the Steelers, Dunbar was the defensive line coach at Alabama from 2016 to 2017. He coached a remarkable group of DL talent that included names like Jonathan Allen, Quinnen Williams, Da'Ron Payne, Dalvin Tomlinson, Raekwon Davis, Da'Shawn Hand, and Isaiah Buggs.
Dunbar has had no shortage of talent to work with over the years, but everywhere he's gone, there have been impressive and productive interior defenders. He deserves credit for this.
This isn't to say that Domata Peko won't be a good coach or that he isn't the right man for the Steelers' current situation. However, Karl Dunbar was one of the most respected coaches from the Mike Tomlin era, and he's done some great things for this defensive line over the years.
The decision to let him walk and sign with the New York Jets could come back to bite the Pittsburgh Steelers if this interior defensive line takes a step back without him.