Steelers' Assistant Coach Privately Rips Positional Group: "You Have To Get Better"

There have been a lot of improvements on paper when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2026 roster. The wide receiving corps has been upgraded, as well as the backend of the secondary. The team will look to have a better offense, but as it always comes down to in the Steel City, defense will determine if the collective can make some noise throughout the campaign. Perhaps the biggest hire from new head coach Mike McCarthy was the one that made Patrick Graham the defensive coordinator. With all the talent that the unit possesses, there should be no excuses moving forward.

The additions of players such as Jamel Dean and Jaquan Brisker should really help the Steelers when going up against dominant passing attacks. Where the group has struggled consistently as a whole in recent years, though, is the rushing defense. There have been severe lapses in communication leading to big games from opposing ball carriers.

That's why it was particularly interesting when the front office left the inside linebacker corps virtually untouched. Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson and Cole Holcomb will lead the way with Malik Harrison also expected to be in the mix. The Steelers could seriously regret not updating this area of the depth chart if things go south early on.

On a recent podcast appearance, former Pittsburgh safety and ESPN analyst Ryan Clark went into some detail about discussions that he has had with assistant head coach Joe Whitt Jr. Whitt, who is also in charge of the secondary, apparently told Clark that the second level of the defense has to be more formidable compared to past years.

"You have to get better play from the linebacker group," Clark said when paraphrasing his conversation with Whitt. "I know [Patrick Graham] is going to have to figure that out from the defensive coordinator standpoint. Joe Whitt Jr., who's now the actual — he's the assistant coach — and those are the conversations I had with him."

Clark wasn't afraid to directly talk about what it is that Whitt and the rest of the coaching staff is looking to improve upon. The defensive line is strong, as is the secondary, but Queen and co. have some work to do.

"I've had conversations with him about how do you fix the second level of this defense. That's extremely important."

While Clark certainly could be summarizing his private discussions with Whitt, it's fair to note that the defensive staff has some concerns about the linebackers. Despite the worries, McCarthy and co. did not feel it as necessary to bring someone in to help the unit. This means that a lot will fall on both Queen and Wilson. Training camp will be a crucial time to fully implement new ideas in regards to communication and execution.

While it very well might be Queen's final season in the Steel City, he has something to prove for teams that might be looking for his services in 2027. Graham, Whitt, and the rest of the minds involved with the defense certainly will have ideas on how to get the best out of the linebackers, especially if this concern has been relevant for several months.

It's hard to get an idea of how this group will be during offseason workouts, but the time period from late July to early September will determine if the front office feels the need to make some kind of unexpected move. It's certain that the coaches are presently acknowledging the unit's lack of consistency for the last couple of seasons.

Steelers Don't Need The Defense To Be Absolutely Perfect

Due to the talent and splash-play ability that exists on the defense, Pittsburgh doesn't need the collective to be at the very top of every single statistical category. However, communication and avoiding breakdowns will be extremely important. Whitt wasn't afraid to tell Clark something on the record, and now Queen and his group know that they are on somewhat of a hot seat pretty much right away.

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