Steelers' Coaching Staff Overhaul Should Feature These 3 New Defensive Coordinator Candidates

The Pittsburgh Steelers' offseason has gotten off to an eventful start. Mike Tomlin told his team one day after walking out of a press conference over a question about his future that he would return in 2024. Players like TJ Watt and Cam Heyward expressed support for Tomlin and said things like he is the only coach they want to play for. It is an intriguing sentiment, considering Watt is due $30 million to play for the Steelers next season, and as it stands, Heyward will be a $22 million cap hit for the black and gold.

Kaboly: Steelers Will Certainly Welcome Back Teryl Austin And Danny Smith With Open Arms

According to reporting by Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Teryl Austin’s contract expired at the end of the 2023 season. Mark Kaboly thinks the Steelers will bring him back, but in the words of Lee Corso, "Not so fast, my friend." 

Austin was retained for 2023 as the defensive coordinator and had mixed results in his second season. On the one hand, he and Tomlin broke out the chewing gum and chicken wire late in the season as they were culling through practice squads and retirees to field a somewhat competent defense late in the season.

On the other hand, Pittsburgh finished 21st in yards allowed and touchdowns allowed in 2023.  The Steelers did finish as the sixth-best scoring defense in the NFL, thanks to some timely mistakes by their opponents. Pittsburgh gave up more yards and touchdowns in 2023 than in 2022, when they were missing Watt for half the season. Change is needed on both sides of the ball, but the worst Steelers offense in the Super Bowl era has overshadowed one of the highest-paid defenses in the NFL, which is underperforming.

The Steelers will need to decide quickly to attract the best possible offensive coordinator candidates. Assuming the Steelers extend Tomlin and move on from Austin on the defensive side of the ball however, these are three solid options to replace him.

Jerry Gray 

The Atlanta Falcons' assistant Head Coach is 61 years old. He has experience as a defensive coordinator with the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans. Gray has 24 years of experience as an NFL assistant, and over half of that time has been spent as a defensive backs coach. He is highly respected, and young players appreciate his teaching style. 

On the surface, hiring a 61-year-old coordinator is not a great long-term answer, but if the Steelers do not extend Tomlin and allow him to coach next season without a contract extension, this is the type of candidate they will attract. Gray is one of the best available in this category and will likely embrace the more collaborative approach Tomlin prefers in his assistants. 

Aaron Curry

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a habit of promoting from within over the decade when it comes to coordinators. It has served them poorly, but Aaron Curry could be an exception. Some of the hottest defensive coordinator candidates in the NFL are Dave Borgonzi, Anthony Campanile and Chris Shula. They are young defensive assistants with, at best, comparable resumes. 

Curry has five years of experience as a defensive assistant at the NFL level and an additional four seasons at the NCAA level. He is the Steelers' inside linebacker coach, and early in the season, when Cole Holcomb, Kwon Alexander and Elandon Roberts were rotating in the position, they were producing at a high level. Curry faced significant challenges with his position group and steadily improved a unit down the stretch. Curry isn't attracting a lot of attention across the league, but he is at least equally qualified and should draw serious consideration in-house. 

Glenn Schumann

The Georgia Bulldogs defensive coordinator is young. Glenn Schumann is 33 years old, but has been Kirby Smart's co-defensive coordinator since 2019. The Bulldogs have won back-to-back National Championships during that period and produced multiple NFL-level talents at all levels under his guidance. Schumann's concepts to limit mobile quarterbacks should be very appealing to the Steelers, who are set to face Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Deshaun Watson for the foreseeable future. 

The Philadelphia Eagles are rumored to be very interested in Schumann. It makes sense because they have picked multiple players from his defense over the last two seasons. Schumann is on an impressive track and is precisely the kind of outside candidate the Steelers should attract and pursue. Tomlin has a good relationship with Smart's program, and if he gets a contract extension, this would be a hire that would be widely praised. 

The focus will be on the offensive coordinator and quarterback searches in the 2024 offseason. The Steelers have been built on defense for decades, and even in 2024, a dominant defense is an important component of any plan in Pittsburgh.  There is no question Tomlin has to get the offensive hires right to win playoff games. The Steelers are spending a significant amount of money of defense on aging superstars. A breath of fresh air is desperately needed on defense to keep the team competitive. 

What do you think, Steeler Nation? Should Pittsburgh choose one of these three candidates, or do you have someone else in mind? Please comment below or on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq with your choices. 

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