Amid all the roster changes for the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason, they also made a fair number of changes on their coaching staff. One of the biggest overhauls there was with the strength and conditioning staff. The former head of the program, Marcel Pastoor, left the team following a 23-year stint along with some of his assistants, and the Steelers hired Phil Matusz, Justus Galac, and Roderick Moore Jr.
Head coach Mike Tomlin was asked about these changes during a media session at the annual NFL owners meetings in Orlando.
“I just thought it was time. I just thought, we got so many talented young, big people. I wanted to put some fresh expertise into their growth and development as an organization,” Tomlin said in a video posted on the Steelers’ website. “We own the development of our young players, and so I’m just really excited.”
The Steelers do boast one of the youngest offenses in the league, and that trend is only continuing with QB Mason Rudolph, WR Diontae Johnson, and OT Chukwuma Okorafor now with other organizations. The defense, on the other hand, is among the oldest, but those veteran players like T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward, and others probably have their offseason routines worked out to a science at this point from a preparation standpoint.
But for guys like OT Broderick Jones, CB Joey Porter Jr., QB Justin Fields, WR George Pickens, and others that figure to be a core part of the team’s future, the fresh expertise could go a long way.
“The acquisition of young, talented players like Broderick Jones or Keeanu Benton is just a component of it. Their growth and development over the course of a 12-month calendar is equally as important as their talents,” Tomlin said. “I’m excited about the moves that we made there and the fresh vision that we’re gonna have in terms of some of our player development.”
This has been one of the more dramatic overhauls of the roster and coaching staff in recent memory. The Steelers normally value continuity and loyalty, but with team president Art Rooney II expressing impatience after yet another early playoff exit, it was time to start breaking the status quo and making these kinds of changes. The roster has too much potential to sit idly and continue doing things the same way. A way that hasn’t produced much results over the last sevens seasons.
