Steelers name Pat Meyer as new offensive line coach

For the second time in a week, the Pittsburgh Steelers filled an open position on their offensive coaching staff with a former Carolina Panthers assistant.

On Tuesday, the Steelers announced the hiring of Pat Meyer as offensive line coach. On Feb. 8, the Steelers named Frisman Jackson their wide receivers coach.

While Jackson was hired away off the Panthers staff, Meyer was fired by Carolina in the days after the completion of a disappointing 5-12 season in which its offense finished among the bottom four in the NFL in points and yards.

Like Jackson, Meyer worked under coordinator Joe Brady, who was an in-season firing by head coach Matt Rhule after the offense struggled.

Part of what ailed the Panthers was the offensive line, although Meyer’s NFL coaching resume extends further back than his two seasons Carolina. He has served as head offensive line coach for three teams over six seasons, plus an additional three as an assistant.

Counting interim coach Chris Morgan during the final weeks of this past season, Meyer is the Steelers’ fifth offensive line coach since late January 2019, when Mike Munchak left to join the Denver Broncos.

Shaun Sarrett was fired last year, and replacement Adrian Klemm accepted a job with the University of Oregon in December. Then-assistant Morgan filled in for the top job for the final four games (including the playoff loss at the Kansas City Chiefs).

Morgan was hired as Bears offensive line coach earlier this month.

Meyer is the first outside hire as the Steelers’ lead offensive line coach since Munchak in 2014. Munchak, a Hall of Fame player and highly respected unit coach, was let go by the Denver Broncos two weeks ago after the team made a change at head coach.

Munchak coached when the Steelers had their best stretch of sustained offensive line play in recent decades, but it should be noted he was working with perennial All-Pro and/or Pro Bowl talents in their primes in Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro and Alejandro Villanueva.

The Steelers started two rookies along the offensive line in 2021 after those three moved on and fellow longtime starter Ramon Foster retired over a 15-month span. With the unit aging and ultimately turning over in personnel, the play of the Steelers’ offensive line has slipped drastically in recent seasons. Most metrics rated it as one of the worst units in the NFL in 2021.

Footballoutsiders.com pegged the Steelers offensive line as 28th among the 32 NFL teams in its all-encompassing “adjusted line yards” stat. That’s three spots behind Carolina, which had a tumultuous season along the offensive line in which only one player started more than 10 games.

None started all 17 games at the same spot (Taylor Moton made 16 at right tackle and one at left tackle). Dennis Daley made starts at three positions, and Brady Christensen at two spots. September waiver claim Michael Jordan eventually took over at left guard.

The situation did not reflect well on the Panthers offensive coaches, particularly Brady, who was hired at 30 two years ago amid great fanfare following his direction of the Joe Burrow-led LSU offense to great heights.

Meyer’s units had better production during his 2017-19 stint with the Los Angeles Chargers, when in 2018 footballoutsiders.com rated their offensive line the fifth-best in the NFL and the Chargers were tied for seventh in the NFL in rushing yards per carry (4.7). The season prior, the Chargers allowed fewest sacks in the league.

Among Meyer’s 20 overall years of coaching experience are two seasons each as an assistant with the Buffalo Bills and Bears.

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