Get to know assistant offensive line coach Jahri Evans, including what got him interested in the coaching profession.
What got you interested in coaching:
"I've been doing camps since I was in college as a player and working the camps that the University put on. When I got to the pros, I decided to start my own camp and that's how I got into doing the camps and coaching. Then the camps went from a camp to an O-line clinic After my playing career, I saw the need of developing young offensive linemen, especially as the NFL becomes more of a passing league. I just kept rolling from there."
Who was your coaching inspiration:
"I've been lucky to have a lot of great coaches. I didn't really play football early. My first year playing football was in high school, in ninth grade, so I did not play in Little League, so was late to playing football, putting on helmets and shoulder pads. My junior varsity coaches, Coach (Mike) Capriotti, who actually helped me in getting me into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame that I went into a couple weeks ago, he was my first football coach. That was my introduction to putting on the helmet and the shoulder pads. But over the years, every offensive line coach that coached me has inspired me. And I use the techniques that I've learned through them to this day."
Describe your coaching style:
"Being an NFL coach where you're coaching men, grown-ups, fathers and husbands, my style is making sure they like the product that they put out on the field, what they put on film. Making sure when they see themselves, they like what they see. I say that because when you get to this level, you have played four to eight years to 12 years of football. If I have to motivate you by yelling at you or talking down to you, then this league's going to weed you out anyway. If you're not self-motivated or if not liking what you put on film doesn't motivate you enough to say, hey, that's me out there with my name on the back of my jersey, I need to do better, then you're not going to last in this league."
What do you love about coaching:
"I love to see the guys have success, work at something. They may understand why they're doing stuff, but sometimes hesitant to believe in why they're doing it. But when they see the fruits of why they put the work in on the field, and it comes to light, and everybody's happy, and everybody's celebrating, and they're winning. That's what I do."
Favorite coaching moment:
"I've been coaching a lot of rookies. One of my favorite moments was watching those rookies go out there and stop some of the best defensive linemen in the game. Watching them have success as a rookie, as a young player to go out and stop the premiere, great players in this game."
Best advice you have received in coaching:
"There was something that was said this year that caught my mind by one of our coordinators. He said you never want to chase ghosts as a coach. We all know that. Even as a player, you don't want the players looking for the outliers, the one percents, things that happen. You don't want to chase those. But the one thing that hit me was whoever has the chalk last, whether it's the offense or the defense, whoever has the chalk last is going to draw up a perfect look to stop it. So, if you're trying to block every look or trying to say what they're going to do, whoever has the chalk last is going to draw something to defeat what you already put in play. So, it hit me with the chasing ghosts scenario, whoever has the chalk last you can't chase that.
"Another thing I always say is the eye in the sky doesn't lie because everything is recorded. The other one is, one of my mentors when I was a young player said is it's never as good as you think it is, and it's never as bad as you think it is."
Best advice you give to players:
"Have fun. Enjoy it. Everybody says it's over quick, enjoy the moment. Enjoy it while you're doing it. Have fun. Don't let it be too much pressure. The way to control the pressure is in your preparation. The more you prepare, the less pressure you'll feel, but always have fun and enjoy it."
Offseason relaxation/reset:
"Go somewhere warm, on the beach preferably. Every year, that's what I do, get away outside the country, go for a week and just relax."
More on Jahri Evans:
Prior to joining the Steelers, Jahri Evans spent three seasons with the New Orleans Saints, including the 2025 season as the team's assistant offensive line coach.
Prior to his most recent role, Evans was an offensive assistant with the Saints in 2023-24. He also worked as a training camp intern for the team in 2022.
Evans was drafted by the Saints in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft, the 108th overall selection.
He spent 11 seasons with the Saints, finishing out his NFL playing career with the Green Bay Packers in 2017 under McCarthy. He started a total of 183 career games, 169 with the Saints, as well as 10 Saints postseason games.
Evans was a six-time Pro Bowl selection, five-time Associated Press All-Pro selection and was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2010's All-Decade Team.
During his time with the Saints, the team finished in the top 10 in total offense in all 11 seasons. The Saints gave up only 196 sacks during that time frame, the lowest in the NFC and second lowest in the NFL.
Evans was selected to the Saints Hall of Fame in 2020, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2022, and the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame and Saints Ring of Honor in 2024. He was also a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2023 and a finalist for the Class of 2024 and Class of 2025.
Evans played college football at Bloomsburg, where he was a finalist for the Division II Gene Upshaw Offensive Player of the Year Award in 2004 and 2005.
