Steelers And Mike Tomlin Are In Danger Of Making A Familiar Mistake During The 2025 Coaching Cycle

The Pittsburgh Steelers' coaching staff has been under a ton of scrutiny at the end of the 2024 season. The team ended the year on a five-game losing streak and added another first round playoff loss to the record books -- the fan base is understandably frustrated. The Steelers struggled in all areas of the game during their strenuous losing streak, with the defense causing the most concern. Pittsburgh rosters the highest-paid defense in the NFL, and the group played like one of the worst units in football at the end of the season.

Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin and Head Coach Mike Tomlin are arguably under fire the most out of anyone on the coaching staff. Austin calls the plays defensively, and Tomlin is known to have a significant hand in the defensive game planning. The specific position coaches also play a significant role, specifically Secondary Coach Grady Brown. Pittsburgh's secondary comes up with a lot of takeaways, and although the defense didn't perform well to end the year, Brown is being considered for the open defensive coordinator job with the Atlanta Falcons.

Brown was hired by the Steelers ahead of the 2021 season, and overall he has done a good job with the secondary, which has often been under-manned. His job in Pittsburgh was his first in the NFL outside of internships early on in his career, and he is already being considered to move up the ranks. He will interview for the job with the Falcons on Friday, and their organization should be making a decision within the coming weeks.

The Steelers have an unfortunate history when it comes to letting certain members of their defensive staff walk for other opportunities. Most recently, Brian Flores left the Steelers to take a job as the defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings. Flores served as a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach for Pittsburgh during the 2022 season, and he was hired by Minnesota ahead of the 2023 season.

Flores has been praised heavily for the job he has done with the Vikings. His stout defense is a big reason why the Vikings were able to surpass expectations during the 2024 season and win 14 games during the regular season. Had they not been playing in the same division as the Detroit Lions, they would have likely won their division. 

With the defensive struggles during the 2024 season, Tomlin has been scrutinized for keeping Austin as his defensive coordinator while letting Flores leave for Minnesota. Flores has been one of the top defensive coordinators in the league since joining the Vikings, which makes it a bad look for Tomlin, who has a history of not being the best at putting together his coaching staffs.

Steelers In Danger Of Making The Same Mistake Again

Brown may not have the coaching resume that Flores did when he was in Pittsburgh, but he is still a promising and valuable defensive coach. Flores had already been a head coach in the NFL when he joined Pittsburgh's staff, but the decision should have been obvious to keep him around. The Steelers rely on securing takeaways on their way to victory and Brown has played a big role in that. Letting him walk could be a massive mistake.

The Falcons will be interviewing other candidates in addition to Brown, but Tomlin needs to do what he can to keep Brown around. Austin has struggled tremendously recently, and many thought he would be fired by this point. If Brown secures the job in Atlanta and finds success, it will go down as another blemish on Tomlin's resume.

What do you think about Brown interviewing in Atlanta? Let us know in the comments below!

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