For the second day in a row, Mike McCarthy has reportedly added an edge rushers coach to his Pittsburgh Steelers staff — C.J. Ah You.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Thursday the Steelers are expected to name Ah You its outside linebackers coach.
Ah You interviewed with the Steelers on Tuesday. The outside linebackers coach also interviewed with the Dallas Cowboys on January 30.
Ah You played defensive end for the Buffalo Bills and then St. Louis Rams from 2007-11. He coached mostly at the college level from 2015-24 before receiving NFL interviews this offseason.
In 33 NFL games, the former defensive end started three contests. He posted 41 combined tackles, six sacks, seven tackles for loss and 13 quarterback hits. He also registered three pass defenses and one forced fumble.
All of his regular season appearances came with the Rams from 2009-11.
The past four seasons, Ah You coached outside linebackers at Texas Tech.
Steelers to Hire C.J. Ah You as Outside Linebackers Coach: Report
Pelissero couldn’t have been any clearer about Pittsburgh’s newest coaching addition’s job title. But it could be a little confusing for fans following along closely with McCarthy’s staff additions.
MontanaSports.com’s Slim Kimmel reported Wednesday that Montana State defensive coordinator Shawn Howe was joining the Steelers coaching staff as outside linebackers coach. The Steelers, though, didn’t officially announce Howe’s hire.
So, it’s unclear if Howe is actually joining the staff. More than likely, he is but maybe not as outside linebackers coach.
Or, it’s possible Howe and Ah You will split the outside linebackers coaching job. They could share responsibilities while also each serving in a different capacity.
Regardless, Ah You is heading to Pittsburgh according to the NFL insider.
Ah You coached in the XFL with the New York Guardians in 2020. Besides that, he has been a college level coach since his playing career ended.
Since 2015, Ah You has served as an assistant with Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, and USC, in addition to Texas Tech. With those programs, he has filled a variety of roles, including one on special teams.
Ah You played at BYU and Oklahoma during his college career. The Bills selected him at No. 239 overall in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft.
Steelers Edge Rushing Depth Entering 2026
Which coach or coaches work(s) with the Steelers outside linebackers next season will mostly come into a great situation. Pittsburgh has invested a lot in its edge rushing room in recent years to acquire stars and quality depth.
The team’s next outside linebackers coach, though, will be tasked with getting more from T.J. Watt in 2026. Watt is still a Pro Bowl-level player but has fallen out of the Defensive Player of the Year conversation he was in just a couple years ago.
In 2025, Watt posted seven sacks with 10 tackles for loss and 19 quarterback hits in 14 games. He missed three contests because of lung surgery in December.
But for a season where he played more than 10 games, Watt had his lowest totals in those three categories since 2017.
Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig will play opposite Watt again in 2026. The Steelers will likely also try to get Jack Sawyer more playing time. As a rookie last fall, Sawyer showed promise, making several splash plays in key moments.
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