In many ways, Domata Peko’s new job as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive line coach makes perfect sense. He spent 11 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, playing against a Steelers defense that made division games feel like a survival. The AFC North rivalry was never clean, and for a defensive lineman, it meant a long Sunday of collisions that showed up on the body the next day. Those are the things he still remembers and has to help Pittsburgh recreate.

“I just enjoy the rivalries, man,” Peko said when asked about the rivalry. “I just remember playing back when I was with the Bengals. It was like a bloodbath every time we played you guys. And I remember that the most sore I’ve ever felt after games was when we played in the AFC North here versus Steelers.”

The rivalry dates back to the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. In terms of their head-to-head record, the Steelers lead Cincy with a 72-41 overall record. The rivalry has been shaped since the 70s, when Pittsburgh had the Steel Curtain to punish offenses, and Cincinnati was still trying to catch up.

Domata Peko was in the middle of it for 11 seasons with the Bengals, and an additional four seasons with three other franchises. His numbers show how much of that “bloodbath” he lived through. In 24 matchups against the Steelers, he went 8-16, put up 76 combined tackles, six for loss, and 3 sacks. But those numbers don’t account for the grueling punishment the Steelers’ secondary put him through.

After spending 2024 with the Dallas Cowboys as their defensive assistant, Domata Peko had also spent a year under Deion Sanders as the defensive line coach at Colorado. That, along with 15 NFL seasons’ worth of playing experience, is what he brings to Steel City now, and he’s very excited about it.

“You always got to respect your opponents, right?” Peko asks. “So I have nothing but love for the Steelers, even when I was in Cincinnati. But now that I’m here, man, I’m freaking Steeler Nation all day and excited to wear the black and gold.”

Peko took up the job in early February 2026, when new head coach Mike McCarthy approached him. The energy from Domata Peko will matter even more now, with the franchise trying to change how it approaches football.

The Pittsburgh overhaul

Under the leadership of new head coach Mike McCarthy, the Steelers have already undergone a rapid shift. Insider Mark Kaboly, for one, has been left impressed with all the changes McCarthy has made so far.

“You could tell the difference offensively just through OTAs and just some of the schemes that they’re installing right now, and they’re still early in the process,” Kaboly said in a recent appearance on 93.7 The Fan. “[McCarthy] pretty much knows what he’s doing, offensively.”

This difference is visible because McCarthy’s West Coast offense builds around the quarterback. Even when veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers was unsigned and unsure, McCarthy had schemes in place for the other quarterbacks in the room. Moreover, McCarthy has revealed that he will be calling all the offensive plays himself, wants receivers to learn all three spots, and wants a smaller, more mastered offensive menu so the quarterback can play on timing and instinct instead of juggling a complicated playbook.

“Everything that the coaching staff says, it looks like it’s going to be ground and pound, let’s be physical, let’s play AFC North Football, play defense, punting’s not a bad thing,” Kaboly adds. “The personnel they got tells me that they’re gonna be, maybe not a run-heavy team, but they’re gonna run the ball more than they have the past couple of seasons.”

The additions of Rico Dowdle and rookie Eli Heidenreich, as well as Jaylen Warren and Kaleb Johnson, give Pittsburgh a chance to dominate on the ground. Dowdle has already revealed that McCarthy wants his backs “to be physical, getting north and south,” as well as protect the signal caller. New wide receiver from the Indianapolis Colts, Michael Pittman Jr. has also described Pittsburgh football as “tough smash-mouth, gritty.”

On the defensive side, former Steelers linebacker Vince Williams has thrown a red flag. He wrote that the Steelers defense had an “unhealthy attachment to base personnel” under former head coach Mike Tomlin. He made the case that the Steelers have been leaning into the 5-man pressure so much that the tactic has lost all edge now.

Domata Peko’s role sits right inside that pressure. He is being asked to help build a front that can fit the new offensive direction, answer the criticism on defense, and maintain Pittsburgh’s competitive edge. Peko is one of the few people in the building who has already taken the hits from that edge. That’s why this hire lands perfectly. Instead of relieving the rivalry, Peko’s arrival is all about coaching from the scar tissue it left behind.