Steelers OL coach Adrian Klemm leaves team, accepts job at Oregon

Adrian Klemm has left his job as Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line coach, effective immediately, to accept a position on the staff at the University of Oregon.

A Steelers spokesman announced the move via his verified Twitter account, adding that assistant offensive line coach Chris Morgan will assume Klemm’s duties for the remainder of the season.

Klemm held the top job at his position group for less than 11 months. He was promoted to replace the fired Shaun Sarrett on Feb. 1. Sarrett had held the gig for two seasons after respected offensive line coach and Pro Football Hall of Fame player Mike Munchak resigned following the 2018 season to join the Denver Broncos staff.

Klemm had spent two seasons as an assistant to Sarrett, who now works for the Los Angeles Chargers. Before his three years with the Steelers, all of Klemm’s prior coaching résumé was in college. During his five seasons at UCLA, Klemm developed a reputation as a top recruiter, but he was let ago amidst allegations he intentionally mishandled injuries to players.

Morgan is a 13-year veteran of coaching offensive lines in the NFL, including six seasons as the top offensive line coach of the Atlanta Falcons. The Steelers did not commit to getting the job on a permanent basis, but the previous two hires to that position were promotions of the assistant.

According to a report by Sports Illustrated, Klemm’s job title at Oregon will be “Offensive line coach, run game coordinator and assistant head coach.”

After replacing four starters, the Steelers have played almost every game this season starting two rookies and another player who entered 2021 with fewer than five career NFL starts. The running game has struggled, sacks of Ben Roethlisberger are up and most metrics measure the Steelers’ offensive line as being among the worst in the league.

Note: Safety Karl Joseph and wide receiver Anthony Miller were added to the practice squad covid-19 list Monday. Joseph, a former West Virginia star and first-round pick, has spent the season on the Steelers’ practice squad but was elevated to appear in two games.

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