Familiarity is the football blueprint in Steel City – at least that’s what it looks like in Mike McCarthy’s first year as head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He reunited with his old quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, and also brought in coaches he’s already familiar with, including Brian Angelichio, the new Offensive Coordinator. Now, McCarthy has made another addition that fits the same bill.

“The Steelers have hired Darian Thompson as the team’s new special teams quality control coach,” per DKPittsburghSports’ Chris Halicke.

The hiring was necessary because the Steelers fired their former coach, Derius Swinton II, in May, just three months after bringing him in. The team cited a “violation of club policy” and “workplace misconduct” as reasons, but did not delve into the details. In early June, McCarthy declared that he plans to replace Swinton II, and that plan ultimately led him to Thompson, who isn’t a random hire either.

Thompson was an NFL safety for 6 seasons, spending four of those with the Dallas Cowboys. His last two playing seasons there overlapped with McCarthy’s head coaching stint. Dallas brought him back as an assistant linebackers coach & quality control coach under McCarthy in 2023. He then worked as the secondary/nickel coach in 2025 and is now reunited with his old coach.

That’s the familiarity building in Pittsburgh. McCarthy is building a staff out of people who already know his language. For context, Offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio was the tight ends coach for McCarthy’s last three seasons with the Green Bay Packers. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham was the Packers’ linebacker coach and run game coordinator in 2018.

O-Line coach James Campen spent 15 years in Green Bay, saw McCarthy arrive as the head coach in 2006, and stayed on with him till 2018. Beyond these three, Jahri Evans, Joe Whitt Jr., Jason Simmons, Scott McCurley, Tom Arth, Frank Cignetti Jr., Ramon Chinyoung, Adam Henry, and Domata Peko all have previous ties to McCarthy.

While some analysts argue this could be detrimental to the Steelers, McCarthy believes these are the perfect people for the job.

“These are friends for life that I was able to bring abroad, and it means the world to me,” McCarthy said back in February. “Just for them to hear all the old stories, and now to actually see where it happened, has been funny. But no, they are not just great people, they are also great coaches.”

Since most of McCarthy’s coaching staff already shares a background, it can help them understand the playbook and the strategies in Pittsburgh easily. Earlier this year, in January, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid followed a similar approach by bringing back former running backs coach and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to Kansas City for his second stint.

After Derius Swinton II’s firing, Mike McCarthy has loaded the room with people he trusts, and Darian Thompson is the latest name in that blueprint. Now, the Steelers have to find out whether this comfort turns into an edge on regular-season Sundays, or just feels good in June.