Steelers' Patrick Graham Is Making A Big Change That Will Challenge Opposing Offenses

The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading into their next chapter under new head coach Mike McCarthy. The offense-focused play-caller will focus on getting the Steelers back to winning playoff games. Though he'll be primarily locked in on the offense, McCarthy brought in many great defensive minds on his staff, including the defensive coordinator, Patrick Graham. The Yale graduate has been a DC in the NFL each of the last seven years for various teams, before taking the same role in Pittsburgh.

Most recently, Graham was with the Las Vegas Raiders, where he worked with three different head coaches. While his defense ranked middle of the pack, the Raiders' defensive roster was considered among the worst in 2025. He has proven to be a great coach, already earning the respect of the Steelers' defense. His scheme revolves around his players, unlike other coordinators who stick to their own program. The Steelers' defense fell short of expectations in 2025, and Graham will be a part of a hopeful turnaround. 

Pittsburgh's defense is built around a 3-4 scheme. 2025's defense had to adapt based on injuries in the secondary, ditching a one-safety shell look to bring more of a two-safety shell instead. Graham's defense will bring some complicated pre-snap movement that could confuse offenses, and Steelers beat writer Christopher Carter broke it down on the North Shore Drive podcast.

"I envision Patrick Graham to do something similar this year for the entire year. When we talked to him, he talked about, you know, he said, 'You got to look at what teams like the Seahawks are doing.' But using that same information, I looked at last year from Sports Information Solutions. They played the most two-high safety shell defenses against the pass last year. They were the number one defense. They were the Super Bowl champions. And so I think what you're going to see is a lot of these guys doing it. What Patrick Graham is trying to do is create more confusing pre-snap looks. So, that's going to be a big part of the change this season," Carter said. 

The Steelers adapting to what other top defenses are doing is a positive thing. The defense looked lackluster at times in 2025, and a schematic change was needed. The unit has the players to get the job done. Pittsburgh has many versatile players, like Jalen Ramsey, who could be a big factor. 

The new coaching staff has used the word "versatility" a ton over the course of this offseason. Players will be lining up in a variety of spots within the defense, whether that be edge rushers playing on different sides or the secondary lining up in various spots. Ramsey is a unique case study of this, as he has been named the "star" on the defense, meaning he'll be roaming different spots. Ramsey, who was only a couple of years ago one of the league's best shutdown corners, played safety last year at times, along with being an inside and outside corner. 

He'll be one of the most prominent players who will move around the defense, but the safeties will be a key part of the scheme and could line up all over the field as well. Pittsburgh's new scheme will have them lining up close to the line of scrimmage, but they could also drop back. The Steelers will get away from their one-safety "center-field" look to using two safeties that could either play close to the line or play deep, a trend being used across the NFL. 

The Steelers Needed A Scheme Change On Defense

The 2025 defense often looked confused, and many coaches appeared not to be on the same page under the previous regime. However, these things needed to change. Already, the defense is embracing the new system, and this is huge for a unit that needs a comeback. 

The expectations are big for a bounce-back year for the group, and with the defense being amongst the league's highest-paid, the aspirations are even bigger. 

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