Steelers' Daylen Everette Gives Direct Confirmation On Improved Defensive Communication

The Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2025 season in a disappointing fashion for many. With the franchise suffering yet another playoff loss, the team has some key areas to improve heading into the 2026 campaign. With the highest-paid defense in 2025 and 2026 in a similar spot, the collective isn't short of talent. With a new coaching staff, the defense is looking to post better numbers, especially given the price tag. The new scheme and verbiage will be new for many, like the veterans who were used to now-former head coach Mike Tomlin's way of doing things; the goal is to streamline the defense. With head coach Mike McCarthy being offensively driven, he has entrusted defensive coordinator Patrick Graham to lead the unit. 

Graham has been clear that he wants to make things easier to communicate, a positive sign for a veteran group. The Steelers' inside linebackers and safeties oftentimes weren't on the same page, and the word was not being spread across the formation. 

This led to some sloppy blown coverages, some resulting in scores for the opposition. The 2025 scheme was overcomplicated at times, and some players spoke out about how some coaches were telling players one thing, and another would tell them something different on the same play. 

This really came to light in Organized Team Activities (OTAs), where players are available to speak to the media after practices, and rookie Daylen Everette was asked some questions. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Christopher Carter asked Everette a question about how his secondary coaches, Joe Whitt Jr. and Jason Simmons, have been communicating to him, as in using the same verbiage, etc. Everette's response should please many of the defense's critics. 

"Honestly, they're really the same. They're two really good coaches, and I learn a lot from both of them," Everette said. 

The answer was short and sweet, but proves the impact that two coaches who are on the same page can have on the defense. Though Everette never played under Tomlin, his answer was a sign that communication is happening between coaches, and hopefully, will make a huge difference on the defense. 

With the Steelers making some big moves on that side of the ball in the offseason, there are no excuses for an improvement. The front office added players at spots that needed some stopgap upgrades, like at cornerback with the signing of Jamel Dean. With these newcomers, existing stars, and rapidly growing young talent, the defense is primed to be an upper-echelon unit if all goes according to plan.

Though last year had a lot of great players, this defense seems more well-rounded. The scheme will complement them, as Graham has said he creates his scheme based on the defense, compared to the other way around. This will ensure that the Black and Gold's star defenders can be played like chess pieces within the system. 

Steelers Have To Make The Defense Work

Pittsburgh is known for its tough defense, whether that's the Steel Curtain of the seventies or the hard-hitting groups of the early 2000's, the Steelers were a top-five group not that long ago.Though McCarthy's offense is surely going to be more efficient than the previous regime's, the team has to get back to its roots. 

The AFC North is a tough division to play in, and as the season goes on, the Steelers will have to shut down opposing offenses to give them their best chance to win. A defense that struggled mightily against the run in 2025, things will have to improve if a late-season playoff push is needed. 

This will be a big year for the unit, and hopefully McCarthy and Graham can flip the script and give a stale defense some new life. Based on the way players are talking about their new coaches, things seem to be looking up in the Steel City. 

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