"Greater Autonomy": Steelers Defense Will Have A New Life After Stale Approach

The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to be a very different team in 2026. This is true because of the various additions and departures on the roster, but the identity of the team is also going to be a little bit different due to the new coaches that are running the show. The organization brought in an almost entirely new coaching staff after former head coach Mike Tomlin announced he would be stepping down after the 2025 season came to an end. Mike McCarthy was hired after a thorough hiring process, and he brought in his own new staff, outside of a couple holdovers from the 2025 coaching unit.

Tomlin was always known for being a player's coach and for his defensive philosophy. However, over the last few years, something seemingly got stale. Pittsburgh had tons of talent on the defensive side of the ball, but the group was consistently underperforming. The defense was actually the reason the team lost some games, which typically is not the case in Pittsburgh. Teryl Austin was the defensive coordinator while Tomlin gave his input on the defense, but now Patrick Graham will be calling the defensive plays on McCarthy's staff. Mike Sando named hiring Graham as one of his favorite moves of the offseason in a recent article for The Athletic.

"The Steelers dipped to No. 19 in defensive EPA per play last season, making this an apt time to change a scheme that critics felt had gone stale under long-time coach Mike Tomlin," Sando wrote. "Graham, constrained by Pete Carroll’s defensive philosophy in Las Vegas last season, should enjoy greater autonomy under his new offense-minded boss, Mike McCarthy."

Tomlin was blamed a lot towards the end of his career for the way the defense performed in Pittsburgh. Everything seemed outdated and predictable, and many opposing players have said something along those lines. Even former Steelers players have come out and trashed the way that defense was coached in Pittsburgh over the last few years.

The analogy that was often used when describing how the defense was called in Pittsburgh was that Austin was ordering off of Tomlin's menu when calling plays. This means Austin could be blamed, but Tomlin should carry most of the weight for his defense, despite the amount of stars that were on that side of the ball.

The autonomy that Graham should experience is the most interesting thing that Sando mentioned in his assessment. Austin never had that in Pittsburgh, but now that the Steelers have an offensive-minded head coach, Graham is going to have a lot of freedom in calling the defense. Graham has been very adamant that he does not have some sort of signature defense that he likes to run. Instead, he likes to see what he has on his defense, and cater the defensive system around the players. This should be the approach from every coach in most situations, especially on a defense with plenty of established players.

Steelers' Patrick Graham Is Underrated Going Into 2026

Graham is a bit underrated due to the recent stops he has had in his career. His first job as a defensive coordinator came in 2019 with the Miami Dolphins. He then worked in the same role for two seasons with the New York Giants. The next four years were spent as the defensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders, where he worked for three different head coaches. That means he was retained three times, and he was also retained in New York when Brian Daboll was hired, but he opted to join the Raiders' staff instead.

Graham has never had a truly talented defense, and his rosters have always been below average. Now he has some stars to work with, and he should be primed to have the best coaching season of his career.

What do you think of the comment from Sando? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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