Karl Dunbar is in his eighth season as the Steelers' defensive line coach and his 19th year as a defensive line coach in the NFL. He was hired by the Steelers on February 8, 2018.

In 2024, Dunbar once again oversaw a productive defensive front. Cameron Heyward earned first-team All-Pro honors for the fourth time in his career, recording 71 tackles, 8.0 sacks, 12 tackles for a loss, 20 quarterback hits and 11 pass defenses, which led all NFL defensive linemen.

Karl Dunbar is in his eighth season as the Steelers' defensive line coach and his 19th year as a defensive line coach in the NFL. He was hired by the Steelers on February 8, 2018.

In 2024, Dunbar once again oversaw a productive defensive front. Cameron Heyward earned first-team All-Pro honors for the fourth time in his career, recording 71 tackles, 8.0 sacks, 12 tackles for a loss, 20 quarterback hits and 11 pass defenses, which led all NFL defensive linemen.

It was one of Heyward's most complete seasons in his career. He got more votes than any other defensive tackle in the NFL for the Associated Press All-Pro Team, showing just how dominant a season he posted.

T.J. Watt was voted the team MVP for a team-record fifth time after a season in which he had 61 tackles, including 19 for a loss, 11.5 sacks, a league-high six forced fumbles, 27 quarterback hits and four pass defenses. He also was named second-team All-Pro and is a finalist for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

In 2023, Watt became the first player since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic, to lead the League in sacks three times (2020, 2021 and 2023). He surpassed his brother J.J. Watt, Reggie White, DeMarcus Ware, Michael Strahan, Kevin Greene, Mark Gastineau and Jared Allen, who each led the League in sacks twice.

Watt, who garnered AP First Team All-Pro honors for the fourth time in his seven year career, was selected by the NFL Committee of 101 as the 2023 AFC Defensive Player of the Year. He has now captured the award three times in the last four years (2020, 2021 and 2023).

Watt, defensive end Alan Page (three), defensive tackle Reggie White (three), linebacker Ray Lewis (three), defensive end Bruce Smith (three), Aaron Donald (four) and J.J. Watt (four) are the only players to earn the award at least three times in either conference since the inaugural event in 1969.

Dunbar helped the Steelers defense consistently improve throughout the course of the 2022 season, holding opponents to 17 points or less over its final seven games. Pittsburgh tied for fifth in sacks over the second half of the season, amassing 25.0 after their Bye Week in Week 9. Watt and Cameron Heyward both received Pro Bowl nods for their efforts.

Under the tutiledge of Dunbar, Watt became the seventh Steeler (eighth time) in franchise history to be named NFL Defensive Player of the Year, finishing the season with a league-leading 22.5 sacks and 21 TFL (tied with Nick Bosa). Veteran Heyward joined Watt for the pair's fifth consecutive Pro Bowl trip under Dunbar's tutelage.

In 2020, Dunbar's defensive line led the League in sacks (56.0), quarterback hits (136) and quarterback pressures (198). The Steelers tied a franchise record with at least 5.0 sacks in three straight games (Weeks 2-6) and continued their NFL record of 73 consecutive regular-season games with at least one sack. Pittsburgh's defense ranked in the top five in the NFL in six run-defense categories, including tackles for loss (103).

Watt worked with Dunbar on his pass rush during the season and finished 2020 with 15.0 sacks, 23 tackles for loss, and 41 quarterback hits. His 41 quarterback hits led the League in 2020 and tied for fifth since the NFL started recognizing the statistic in 2006.

Meanwhile, Dunbar continued to work closely with defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, who, along with T.J. Watt, was selected to the 2020 Pro Bowl. Heyward added 4.0 sacks to his resume in 2020, putting him at 58.0 in his career.

In 2019, Dunbar mentored Heyward, who was named All-Pro for the second time in his career (2017). Heyward finished the season with 9.0 sacks, 22 quarterback hits, 11 tackles for a loss and six passes defensed. Heyward not only led all NFL defensive tackles in stops with 83, but he also led the League in tackles by a defensive lineman. In fact, his 83 tackles were the most by a Steelers defensive lineman since Donald Evans had 84 in 1993.

Among NFL defensive tackles in '19, Heyward ranked second in quarterback hits, second in sacks and fourth in tackles for loss.

Another Dunbar protege, nose tackle Javon Hargrave, recorded 60 tackles, seven tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, 4.0 sacks and one forced fumble in 2019. Hargrave's 60 tackles were the most among all nose tackles in the NFL and ninth-most among defensive tackles. Among all NFL nose tackles in '19, Hargrave ranked tied for second in sacks, quarterback hits and tackles for loss.

Three members of Dunbar's positional group recorded at least 5.0 sacks each, led by defensive captain and first-year Pro Bowl selection Heyward. Heyward's 8.0 quarterback takedowns in 2018 led the defensive line, followed by Javon Hargrave (6.5), Stephon Tuitt (5.5) and Daniel McCullers (1.0). Pittsburgh's defense finished sixth among all NFL teams in rushing yards allowed and total yards allowed per game in 2018 (96.1 / 327.2), with just two running backs eclipsing 100 rushing yards against the Steelers on the season.

Dunbar re-entered the NFL coaching ranks after spending the two years as the defensive line coach at Alabama. He tutored a defensive line that helped the school capture the College Football Playoff National Championship following the 2017 campaign, and advanced to the title game after the 2016 season. The Crimson Tide led the nation in total defense and rush defense in 2017. In his first season, Alabama led the nation in rush defense and ranked fourth in sacks while recording a school-record 54.0 sacks.

Dunbar coached defensive line for the Buffalo Bills in 2015, where he reunited with defensive tackle Kyle Williams whom he coached at LSU.

Dunbar oversaw a defensive line with the N.Y. Jets for three seasons (2012-14) that featured the 2013 Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year — Sheldon Richardson — who also earned Pro Bowl honors in 2014. Muhammad Wilkerson, a Jets defensive lineman, also benefited greatly under Dunbar's guidance, posting a team-leading and career-high 10.5 sacks in 2013 — the most by a Jets defensive player since 2005. Wilkerson was named second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press and a first alternate for the Pro Bowl.

Before joining the Jets, Dunbar served as the defensive line coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 2006-11. Minnesota's defense allowed the fewest rushing yards in the NFL (84.8 yards per game) and recorded the sixth-most sacks in the League (242.0) during Dunbar's six-year tenure. The Vikings' rush defense was the best in the NFL in three consecutive years from 2006-08, marking the first time since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger that a team had the number one rushing defense in three consecutive seasons.

Three Minnesota defensive linemen were selected to multiple Pro Bowls while Dunbar was the unit's position coach: defensive tackle Kevin Williams (5), defensive end Jared Allen (4) and defensive tackle Pat Williams (3). The trio earned the honor of being the first Viking triplet of defensive linemen to earn the Pro Bowl in the same season since 1969 in 2008 — a season in which they led the League in rushing defense for the third straight year.

In 2011, the Vikings' defense finish tied for the most sacks in the NFL with 50.0, an effort led by Allen's NFL-leading 22.0 sacks — just a half-sack shy of the League's single-season record.

The Vikings defense allowed just 985 rushing yards in Dunbar's second season with the franchise — setting a franchise record and ranking second in the NFL since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger behind the Ravens' 970 yards allowed in 2000.

In 2005, Dunbar coached the defensive line at Louisiana State University, which featured Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams.

Dunbar's first coaching stint in the NFL was with the Chicago Bears in 2004. He guided a young defensive line that included rookies Tommie Harris and Tank Johnson. Dunbar was the defensive line coach at Oklahoma State from 2002-03, where he mentored future Viking Kevin Williams and helped him become the program's first defensive lineman to be a first-round selection (ninth in 2003) since Leslie O'Neal (eighth in 1986).

He began his coaching career at Opelousas (La.) High School in 1986 before advancing to Beau Chene (La.) High School in 1997.

Dunbar, an eighth-round draft selection of the Steelers in 1990, played defensive line for two teams in his NFL career: New Orleans Saints (1992-93) and Arizona Cardinals (1994-95). He also played one season in NFL Europe (Rhein Fire, 1995).

Dunbar and his wife, Pamela, have three children: Karmichael Mackenzie II, Mickel Angelle and Nickolette Alyse. A native of Opelousas, La., Dunbar graduated from LSU with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.