Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers running backs coach Ramon Chinyoung opened up on his new position with the Steelers during an interview with NFL insider Aaron Wilson at Chinyoung’s free youth football camp at Planet Ford Stadium in Spring, Texas.
Chinyoung most recently served as the assistant offensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys in 2025. Chinyoung is taking on a new role in Pittsburgh, as he’s never served as a RBs coach in the NFL.
“The backfield has been awesome, the experience has been awesome … going from the offensive line room to the running back room has just been a breath of fresh air,” Chinyoung said. “From a standpoint, now you see why those combinations, the communication up front, the intricacies of the offensive line play is so valuable. Not just for them, but for the ball carriers. So I get to bridge that gap. It’s been a blessing.
Chinyoung was promoted to assistant offensive line coach in Dallas in 2025 after serving as the Cowboys’ assistant offensive line/quality control coach for two years (2023-24), under Mike McCarthy. Chinyoung began his NFL coaching career in 2022 as an offensive quality control coach for the Denver Broncos
New Steelers running back Rico Dowdle played under McCarthy with the Dallas Cowboys from 2020-24, getting his first shot to prove himself as a legitimate pro ball carrier. He went for 1,079 yards and two touchdowns on 235 carries during their last year together with America’s Team, then joined the Carolina Panthers for last season.
Dowdle and Jaylen Warren both went undrafted before their play demanded solid roles in an offense. Chinyoung believes the pair will take on a “thunder and lightning” sort of identity. Warren slimmed down some this offseason — he weights 208 pounds right now, he said — and Dowdle showed up looking tough to drag down.
Chinyoung also raved about seventh-round pick Eli Heidenreich at OTAs. Heidenreich, who finished his career as Navy’s all-time leader for receiving yards (1,994) and receiving touchdowns (16), is listed as a running back/wide receiver but he’s been in the RBs room exclusively.
“He’s been in my room every day. He’s a Swiss Navy knife, I told him to patent that,” Chinyoung said. “Great kid, does a great job of just meshing with the guys and relationships, but also taking the time to learn the scheme, identifying where he fits. He’s been awesome for us.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers RBs Coach Opens Up on New Position: ‘Breath of Fresh Air’
