Steelers Are Encouraged To Hire A Coach Like Robert Saleh To Bring New Ideas To The Defense

Head Coach Mike Tomlin said the Pittsburgh Steelers would be making big changes on all levels of the organization, including the coaching staff. Initially, Steelers fans were anticipating Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin to be fired and replaced sometime this week. It's been nearly a full week since their Wild Card Round loss to the Baltimore Ravens, and no changes have been in sight. Austin is under contract with the Steelers for one more year, and the team may decide to keep him until then. If the team decides to keep Austin, new faces still need to be added to the staff. 

Pittsburgh's defense had a horrible second half of the 2024 regular season which continued into the playoffs. TJ Watt and the rest of the defensive line seemed to make no impact on the field whatsoever, despite being the heart of the league's highest paid defense. In their last two games of the season, including their playoff loss, Watt didn't record a single tackle or stat, which is a clear coaching mishap. The Ravens rushed for just under 300 yards on the Steelers in their playoff stint, which is beyond embarrassing. 

The defensive schematics and play-calling became very suspect in the middle of the season, particularly in their first game against the Cleveland Browns on the road. Pittsburgh's heartbreaking loss to Cleveland in the snow was only the beginning of a terrible stretch by the Steelers' defense. At one point, the Steelers had a two-game lead in the AFC North and Watt was the Defensive Player of the Year front-runner. Now, Watt's chances of getting his second defensive trophy are very unlikely. 

It couldn't be any more obvious that Pittsburgh needs a new voice on the coaching staff to help this defense reach its full potential. Ray Fittipaldo with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was recently on Pittsburgh's 93.7 The Fan and named a few possible candidates that the Steelers could bring in to assist Austin and the defense, if the team doesn't decide to move on. 

"Can they make a move like they made with Brian Flores a couple of years ago? I'm just throwing out some names now, because I know these guys lost jobs this year," Fittipaldo said on Friday. "But let's say, Lou Anarumo from the Bengals, maybe you hire him as a defensive consultant. Robert Saleh, formally of the Jets, really good D.C. in his days with the 49ers. Maybe you talk him into becoming your associate head coach. I think we could all agree, you know, whether guys come back or not, I do think they need some fresh ideas. I think they need somebody to come in, take a look at what they're doing, and say, 'Okay, yeah I get that, but why don't you try this?'"

The New York Jets fired their former head coach, Robert Saleh, just five games into the 2024 regular season, which puzzled many league figures. Saleh spent four seasons as the Jets head coach, but was also the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator for the four years prior to that (2017-2020). Saleh is a well-respected defensive mind around the NFL, and the Steelers could definitely benefit from his assistance. 

Another plausible option for the Steelers is Lou Anarumo. Anarumo has been the Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator for the past six seasons, but was fired after a horrible 2024 season. Cincinnati had one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL, but Anarumo did a great job of utilizing star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, who led the league in sacks.

Before Austin was promoted to coordinator, he spent most of his time coaching the secondary. It wouldn't be a terrible idea to bring in Anarumo to help Watt and the others work on their schematics, while Austin could get back to focusing on the passing defense, which also became a problem at the end of the season. 

Steelers Also Need New Coaching Ideas On Offense In 2025

The Steelers brought in Arthur Smith in the 2024 offseason to fix an offense that seemed completely broken for years. While the offense made noticeable improvements and had impressive stretches of football, major issues still remain. The running game never reached its full potential, and the offensive line didn't take enough steps forward. 

If Pittsburgh decides to keep the majority of their current coaches, then at the very least, they need to add more ideas into the locker room. 

What do you think? Should the Steelers hire a coach like Saleh or Anarumo to bring new ideas to the defense? Let us know in the comments below. 

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