Steelers Insider Reports Team Likely To Award DC Teryl Austin With New Contract

The Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to have some changes on their coaching staff in the 2024 offseason. The obvious one is that an external candidate is likely to be hired as the team's new offensive coordinator. That search reportedly has already begun. That will be the first order of business before other dominos start to fall. Mike Tomlin will be returning as the head coach despite various reports he was considering stepping away from the organization. It will be an interesting few months for the franchise leading up to the new league year that begins in the middle of March.

Many wondered if Tomlin would consider a complete overhaul of his coaching staff. The defense had strong moments in 2023, but also underperformed in several areas, especially stopping the rushing attack of opponents. Teryl Austin has been the defensive coordinator since the beginning of the 2022 season and despite questions surrounding his future, he is expected to return, and with a new contract.

Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported on Tuesday morning that although Austin's contract expired at the end of the 2023 campaign, he is expected to return to the sidelines alongside Tomlin.

"Teryl Austin, whose two-year contract expired after the season, is expected to return as defensive coordinator after the Steelers ranked sixth in the league in fewest points allowed in 2023 (19.1 per game)."

The points per game aspect is an important one in the NFL. Averaging less than 20 allowed is something to be proud of, but it kind of got overlooked because the offense struggled to score points for the majority of the season. It makes sense for the focus throughout the offseason to put together an offensive game plan that can win shootout games in case Austin's group underperforms at times.

There are still several questions regarding the defense. It seems as if the team may have found a great defensive lineman in Keeanu Benton, but Cameron Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi's ages aren't exactly convincing the fan base that the future of the position is set. The Steelers should be expected to draft a big defensive lineman early on in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The secondary has its questions, too. Joey Porter Jr. had an awesome rookie season and the jury is still out on Cory Trice Jr. after his season quickly came to an end in training camp when he suffered a torn ACL. The backend has Minkah Fitzpatrick, but safety help and assistance on the outside will also be necessary to solidify the secondary as whole.

It will be interesting to hear about what Austin's new contract looks like. It's doubtful the Steelers would only give him one more year, so fans can expect it to be another two-year agreement like he signed originally. Matt Canada was a shocking in-season fire, so if the team struggles out of the gate on defense, no one should expect Austin to go anywhere. It is Tomlin, at the end of the day, that has the most say on what happens defensively.

Steelers' Austin Was Reportedly In Running For Collegiate Position

It was reported back in November that Austin could be a candidate to become Syracuse University's next head coach. That never came to fruition, but could be something to look out for in 2024 heading into 2025. If he was potentially entertaining the move to college, a top offer could take him away from the Steelers before his new contract expires. For now, though, Austin is expected to be back on the sidelines in 2024.

Do you think it's the right move for the Steelers to bring Austin back? Let us know in the comments below!

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