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The Pittsburgh Steelers are adding two assistants who were college coaches last season. The Steelers announced Thursday that Alabama defensive line coach Karl Dunbar has joined their staff as defensive line coach, and Tom Bradley, who was UCLA's defensive coordinator the past three seasons, has been hired as Pittsburgh's secondary coach.
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John Mitchell, the Steelers' defensive line coach since 1994, will remain on the staff with the assistant head coach title he gained in 2007.
Dunbar spent three seasons in the NFL as a player, and has coached 11 years in the league with four teams. His most recent NFL stay was with the Buffalo Bills in 2015 before spending the past two seasons on the college level with Alabama.
"It's awesome to be back," said Dunbar to the Steelers' website. "This team drafted me out of college. Just to be back and the nostalgia of Pittsburgh, the mystique of Pittsburgh, the workman's mentality. Hopefully I can bring that to the team.
"Having the relationship with Mike (Tomlin) and some of the coaches on the staff. Knowing Coach Mitchell, who was a coach at LSU when I played. A lot of things he did, I do. I will lean on him to help me get to know the guys in the defensive line room and hopefully make it a great transition."
Bradley replaces Carnell Lake, who announced Wednesday he was leaving the Steelers' staff.
Bradley was defensive coordinator at Penn State for 12 seasons, and served as interim head coach in 2011 when the school fired Joe Paterno. He spent two years working as a TV football analyst before he became defensive line coach at West Virginia in 2014.
Bradley was UCLA's defensive coordinator the past three seasons.
"I want to thank Coach Tomlin and the entire Steelers organization for this opportunity," said Bradley in a statement. "I am excited to be a part of such a rich tradition here. We have a great nucleus in the defensive backs room, and my goal is to help this group continue to grow and develop as we all work toward one goal."
