The Steelers named Scott McCurley the team's inside linebackers coach.
McCurley, who is a Western Pennsylvania native, spent the last five seasons (2020-24) as the linebackers coach for the Dallas Cowboys and a total of 18 years in the NFL, 15 in a coaching role.
Last season, McCurley oversaw the Cowboys linebackers who recorded 22 of the team's 52 sacks, while Micah Parsons recorded a team-high 12 sacks for the season, becoming the first player since Reggie White in 1982 to record at least 12 sacks in their first four seasons. Parsons went on to be named to his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl Games in 2024. Cowboys linebacker Eric Kendricks led the team with a career-high 145 tackles, including three tackles for a loss, three sacks and a team-high three forced fumbles, despite missing two games injured.
Injuries caused some shuffling at the linebacker position for the Cowboys in 2023, but the unit responded. Second-year linebacker Damone Clark moved to middle linebacker and led the team with a career-high 115 tackles, including four tackles for a loss. Markquese Bell moved from safety to linebacker and finished second on the team with 103 tackles.
The Cowboys defense was ranked third in rushing touchdowns allowed in 2022 with nine, and ninth in opponent negative rushing play percentage (9.8%). Leighton Vander Esch started 14 games, finishing second on the defense with 100 tackles, while Anthony Barr had 61 tackles. Rookie Damone Clark also stepped up under McCurley's guidance, and after missing the first seven games of the season injured, he recorded 50 tackles and two forced fumbles.
In 2021, first-round pick Micah Parsons set a Cowboys' rookie record with 13 sacks, tied for third-most in NFL history, and was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Vander Esch and fellow linebacker Keanu Neal also had strong seasons and were second and third respectively on the team in tackles.
In his first year with the Cowboys in 2020, linebacker Jaylon Smith lead the team with 160 tackles, ranking second in the NFL. The defense overall also forced 23 takeaways, seventh in the NFL.
McCurley first broke into the NFL with the Green Bay Packers where he spent 13 seasons in multiple roles. He started off in coaching administration (2006-08) before spending five seasons as a defensive quality control coach (2009-13). McCurley was the team's assistant linebackers coach from 2014-17 and in 2018 was a defensive assistant.
The Packers defense recorded 44 sacks in 2018, tied for eighth in the NFL, while Blake Martinez had a team-high 147 tackles. In his role as assistant linebackers coach, he worked with assistant head coach/linebackers coach Winston Moss with the linebackers as a whole, with an emphasis on inside linebackers. Martinez led the team in tackles that season as well with 158, eighth best in team history. He also worked with Clay Matthews on his switch to inside linebacker,
McCurley, who was born in New Castle, Pa. and attended Mohawk Area High School, joined the University of Pittsburgh football team as a walk-on linebacker and went on to earn a scholarship after his red-shirt season. He was a four-year letterwinner (1999-2002) and graduated in 2003 with a bachelor's degree in movement science with a coaching minor. He spent three years as a graduate assistant at Pitt, before breaking into the NFL ranks.
