Hall of Famer Mike Munchak is coaching this spring. And though many Pittsburgh Steelers fans wish he would return to the city, he’s on the opposite side of the country. Noted by The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue, Munchak is working in a consultant role with the Los Angeles’ Rams during OTAs. It’s a title and job he held last season, helping turn around the careers of players like Kevin Dotson, who signed a large long-term deal to remain with the team this offseason. Head coach Sean McVay hopes Munchak sticks around throughout 2024.
“Renowned offensive line coach Mike Munchak, who consulted for the Rams last season along first-year position coach Ryan Wendell, was back out at OTAs this week,” Rodrigue wrote. “McVay said the team would like to retain Munchak in that capacity if he was amenable.”
It’s a sentiment the team expressed earlier this month and possibility Munchak certainly seems open to. Regarded as one of the best teachers with the credibility of a nine-time Pro Bowler and gold jacket in his closet, Munchak seems to improve the front lines of any team he works with.
Last season, the Rams finished with a borderline Top 10 rushing offense in every category despite starter Kyren Williams missing several games with injury. When available, he excelled and averaged five yards per carry with 12 rushing touchdowns. The Rams were sacked just 34 times, sixth-fewest in the league. Compare that to 2022 when their quarterbacks were taken down 59 times. Matthew Stafford only played half that season but his sack rate fell by more than three points in 2023 compared to 2022.
Up front, Dotson flourished after an inconsistent career in Pittsburgh. With the Steelers, he was never coached by Munchak, instead rotating through a list of names: Shaun Sarrett, Adrian Klemm, Chris Morgan, and Pat Meyer. The Rams smartly moved Dotson back to right guard, simplified the scheme, and let Dotson play to his physical talent.
He wasn’t the only one. Rookie Steve Avila easily graded out in the top half of guards and earned good marks for pass protection. And right tackle Rob Havenstein was a Top-15 tackle in the NFL.
Munchak served as the Steelers’ o-line coach from 2014 to 2018, the right man as the Steelers found their prime front five of Alejandro Villanueva, Ramon Foster, Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro, and Marcus Gilbert. But Munchak left the team in 2019 for the Denver Broncos to be closer to family. He worked there until 2021.
Since, Munchak’s taken some time off for health reasons but expressed a desire to coach again, never completely ruling out a Steelers’ reunion. But that won’t be in the cards this year. He’s with the Rams while Pittsburgh has their pair of o-line coaches in Meyer and assistant Isaac Williams, in charge of molding several young and key players along the front five.
