Earlier this offseason, we wrote deep dives on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ three coordinator hires: OC Brian Angelichio, DC Patrick Graham, and STC Danny Crossman. Before the offseason ends, we’re doing the same with a key positional coach: offensive line coach James Campen. In general, the position is a critical hire. The Steelers have benefited when they’ve gotten it right (Mike Munchak) and paid the price when they’ve gotten it wrong (Jack Bicknell Jr., Adrian Klemm).
Campen is a veteran coach who has been in the NFL for more than 20 years. Understanding him and his background is key to understanding the Steelers’ offense as a whole. Like the others, we’ll dive into his background and coaching philosophy.
Background
Born in Sacramento, California, in June 1964, Campen was a player before he became a coach. He began at nearby Sacramento City College before transferring to Tulane for the 1984 and 1985 seasons, about a decade before Omar Khan arrived on campus.
Undersized, he went undrafted in 1986 and signed with the New Orleans Saints. His first NFL action came with three starts at center in 1987, a door opened by the ’87 strike. Campen took the field as a replacement player, starting against the Los Angeles Rams, St. Louis Cardinals, and the Chicago Bears. The Saints went 2-1, but when the strike ended, Campen returned to the bench.
Campen signed with the Green Bay Packers in 1989. He spent the first season as a backup but earned the starting job in 1990, starting all 16 games. He held the starting role through the first month of the 1993 season until a hamstring injury put him on injured reserve for the rest of the season. Fun fact: he was also a teammate of the late Tunch Ilkin for that ’93 season.
With a knee injury in 1992 and his 1993 hamstring ailment, Campen retired after the season. He appeared in 67 games across eight years, making 50 starts.
Old media guides offer an additional window into his background as a player and person. Here is Campen’s excerpt from the 1992 media guide.
Some highlights:
– Coaches praised his intelligence: “He’s bright, and he’s your classic overachiever. He works hard. I feel like – because of his intelligence and the way that he plays – he’s good for our line,” said o-line coach Tom Lovatt.
– He had to “talk his way into” getting the Saints to sign him
– He played emergency defensive tackle during his time with the Saints
– In high school, he lettered in football and wrestling
– Became a reserve deputy sheriff in New Orleans and Green Bay
– Competed in NFL Arm Wrestling tournaments
– Loves wrestling and the WWF
In fact, on that last point, Campen cut this 1993 promo that resurfaced a few years ago.
Campen was Green Bay’s starting center for Brett Favre’s first start, Week 4 of the 1992 season. Funny enough, that came against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Favre threw two touchdowns in a 17-3 Packers win.
He was regarded as a tough and old-school lineman who played with an edge. And played hurt. Undergoing collarbone surgery one year, he asked the Packers’ team doctor who removed a piece of his collarbone to drill a hole in it. Campen tied a piece of string to it and wore it for the season opener, vowing to play, and threw it onto the field at the start of the game.
“I threw the bone out there about the 20-yard line…it got ground up in the dirt somewhere,” Campen said during an NFL Films feature piece.
Before jumping into NFL coaching, Campen worked at the high school level. Returning to his alma mater, Ponderosa High School in Shingle Springs, California, he was hired as the school’s defensive coordinator. From 1999 to 2003, he served as the program’s head coach, amassing a 29-20-1 record.
The NFL came calling in 2004. Mike Sherman hired Campen as Green Bay’s assistant o-line coach/quality control coach, a low-level job but one that knocked down the NFL coaching door. When Mike McCarthy was hired in 2006, Campen was retained as o-line assistant under head o-line coach Joe Philbin.
While Campen’s role was coaching the offensive line, his relationship with Favre was critical. Effectively, Campen served as the go-between of Favre and McCarthy/the front office. McCarthy attempted to paint the picture differently, but this 2008 article outlines that it was through Campen that Green Bay first heard Favre was considering unretiring.
“Favre, who led the Packers to a Super Bowl title after the 1996 season, held a tearful news conference to announce his retirement March 6. Through Packers offensive line coach James Campen, Thompson and McCarthy heard a few weeks later that Favre was having second thoughts. Campen is a friend of Favre’s who McCarthy said had been miscast as an official intermediary between Favre and the team in various media reports.”
Campen was named Green Bay’s head offensive line coach in 2008. He developed a reputation for developing mid and late round picks into starters: Allen Barbe (4th round), Josh Sitton (4th round), T.J. Lang (4th round), Marshall Newhouse (5th round), David Bakhtiari (4th round), J.C. Tretter (4th round), and Corey Linsley (5th round) are just some examples.
Others had success elsewhere that can be credited to Campen. Like OT Breno Giacomini, who went on to start nearly 90 NFL games, even if none came in Green Bay. He was close to Campen, and after being cut by the Packers in 2010, he signed back to the practice squad because of that relationship.
“My offensive line coach was the one who was pushing really hard for me to come back here,” Giacomini told WickedLocal.com. “We just kept talking throughout the whole process. And I feel comfortable here. That’s one of the major things, I feel real comfortable here, and I feel like I’m just going to get better every day.”
Campen is known for his close relationship not just with Favre but also with Aaron Rodgers. The two walked similar paths. Both were born in California. In Green Bay, both men lived in the same town of Suamico, Wisconsin. Rodgers bought his house there in 2005 and lived there until 2017.
When Rodgers’ Jets and Campen’s crossed paths for a joint practice, Rodgers had a little fun at Campen’s expense. A separate NFL Films feature details it all the more. Narrated by Rodgers himself, the video focused on Campen’s return to Green Bay as a member of the Houston Texans for a 2021 preseason game.
“Campy has been like a big brother to me since I got in the league,” Rodgers said. “When I was 21 and a rookie, for whatever reason, he took me under his wing. He was there for me. The moments when I was a young player with not a lot of friends on the squad, not understanding what was going on, caught behind, you know, a legendary quarterback not playing, you know, he was my confidant. We started going to dinner on the road every single week. We had a kind of a standing date and then growing our friendship together over the years. He’s a really special, special person.”
Rodgers noted Campen has a “Miracle Mile” tradition that he still did through at least 2021 and may continue today. For every road game, Campen walks around the city and hands out $1,000 to the homeless.
“James has the biggest heart that I know. He’s such a special human. He cares about people so much.”
The two also have a fun future bet.
“When he’s 70, and I’m 50, we have a wrestling match. Winner gets paid a charity of our choice.”
See you in about 8 years.
Campen coached in Green Bay through the 2018 season. McCarthy was fired midway through the season, and Campen joined the Cleveland Browns in 2019 as head offensive line coach and assistant head coach. Freddie Kitchens was fired at the end of the year, and Campen coached the Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive line in 2020. In 2021, he joined the Houston Texans and in 2022, the Carolina Panthers, where he replaced Pat Meyer. In Pittsburgh, Campen is again replacing Meyer.
It’s a lot of moving for a coach, but he’s had some bad luck with head coaches. LA’s Anthony Lynn was fired at the end of 2020, and David Culley was let go after the 2021 season. With head coach changes often come staff changes that aren’t always a reflection of an individual coach’s ability. Still, Campen’s time post-Green Bay hasn’t been as successful.
Campen stepped away from football after the 2023 season and reportedly opened and ran a hardware store back in Wisconsin. In 2024, he rejoined the Packers as a scouting consultant. Largely, the role was remote, and Campen helped from his Florida home.
Some other odds and ends. Each year, Campen works at “Trench Camp,” founded by Stan Brock, which works with high school linemen and prospects. He’s slated to return for the 2026 version July 10-12 in Salem, Oregon.
Jon Gruden linked up with Campen a couple of years ago. Gruden coached in Green Bay in the 90s when Campen played. It led to a funny moment when Gruden got Campen back into his stance and made Favre’s favorite pre-snap line calls.
During his playing days, Campen would regale neighborhood kids with magic tricks.
Finally, Campen has been the subject of several NFL Films pieces, which we’ll talk more about below. That might be because Campen’s daughter works for NFL Films. Kaley Campen is a Talent Producer and works closely with Hard Knocks, including the 2024 edition that focused on the AFC North.
“It’s really terrific,” Campen said in a 2025 interview. “It really kinda hit the first time we were on the field at the same time. We have a picture of that. When I was at Cleveland, she was working that game. We got a picture together. ‘Hey, we’re both working’…I can’t imagine my life without her.”
Coaching Philosophy
Unlike Pat Meyer, I couldn’t find a coaching clinic video that Campen led. It makes it harder to find out his teaching style and points of emphasis. Still, there’s plenty of information on him as a coach, as told by his former players, along with some quotes from Campen himself. Former lineman Dane Rudolph once shared his camp experience under Campen.
“When he did single me out was a one-on-one drill against the defense,” he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in 2009. “I had done a good job the first round, but I didn’t do up to the standards that he wanted. He wanted me to go beyond just beating the guy. He wanted me to beat the guy and make sure he did not come back. Once he told me what I needed to do, I was like, ‘Okay, I can do that.’ So I did it.”
Drafting Giacomini and Josh Sitton in the same class, Campen pointed out their shared traits that he found applicable to the NFL.
“They will go to the whistle — and beyond. They’re tough, they hustle to get downfield, they finish blocks,” he said via 247 Sports. “They are both high-energy, tough people. And they’ll bring that type of attitude in the offensive line unit.”
Sounds a lot like Gennings Dunker from this year’s class.
One running theme from all my research was Campen’s emphasis on coaching and playing to each player’s strengths. Simple as that sounds, not every coach takes that approach. Working within a player’s wheelhouse instead of making him a cookie-cutter version of the ideal maximizes his ceiling.
“I think it’s partly because Coach took his strengths, helped with some areas he may not be the best at, and helped bring his level up to elite,” former Packers’ lineman Lucas Patrick once said of fellow lineman Lane Taylor, an undrafted free agent who went on to appear in 87 games with 55 starts.
“He was patient with me, teaching me center, guard and tackle,” longtime lineman Justin McCray said in the same above interview. “He’s a real player’s coach. He figures out what you do well, and he maximizes on that. He also gave me a chance to figure out if I could play in this league, so I appreciate him a lot for that.”
Also undrafted, McCray went on to start nearly 40 NFL games and played under Campen nearly every step of the way. In Green Bay, Cleveland, Houston, and Carolina.
Campen’s center background makes him even more natural to coach the position, whether for those new to it or those tenured.
“Campy, being a natural center himself, helped a ton. In the NFL, it’s a different game than it was in college. We play a different offense entirely. His tutelage has been awesome for me over the past couple years,” Corey Linsley said in the same Packers feature piece above.
Campen is known for his heart and care for players. That can come in the form of tough love, too. After a bad 2023 preseason outing, Campen held a closed-door locker room meeting and apparently ripped into his unit, though he kept the details in-house when reporters pressed him.
On the field, Campen wants tough players. Mentally and physically.
“If you’re mentally tough and you can overcome things, or you can again play with balance in your mind and you have balance in your feet,” he said while a member of the Chargers. “You’re always gonna have your feet on the ground.
“There’s a lot of coaches that use the saying, be where your feet are. You gotta live in that movement, and the moments are about 4.5 seconds, and you’re back in a huddle. And so you have to make sure you can turn a switch on and off when you need to. And during that time, be mentally tough. That’s when it’s physical, it’s time to go. So display the physical presence.”
With his track record of developing mid-round picks and undrafted free agents, Campen pays no mind to how his players get to the roster.
“I can give a flying crap if you’re drafted in the first round or you’re a free agent that just walked on two days before camp,” he said in the above Chargers interview.
Training camp will be key for this returning and new-look group. Campen offers the unit some grace.
“I think the good thing about our staff overall and Coach Campy is they understand there’s going to be struggle,” Austin Corbett once said via the Panthers’ website. “They understand you’re going to get beat. You’re going to see how you adapt, you’re going to see how you grow, that’s what training camp’s for…it’s a matter of just being able to keep guys’ confidence up while they’re getting beat….it’s ok.
“This is what training camp’s for, and you’re going to grow through it.”
Final Thoughts
Like any coach, Campen will be viewed as good as his players. Injuries can throw wrenches into situations. Campen comes with plenty of experience and pedigree. His players seemed to enjoy playing for him, and his mentality of focusing on player strengths is positive. As is his ability to mold “lesser” talent undervalued or ignored throughout the pre-draft process.
His bumpy results since leaving Green Bay are worthy of pause. Of course, reuniting with McCarthy in Pittsburgh increases the chances of philosophical alignment and success. Overall, I’m happy about the hire and the pairing of the vet, Campen, with the younger assistant, Jahri Evans.