Steelers Defensive Coach Suddenly Poached By Vikings Amid Staff Shakeup In Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Steelers have hired Mike McCarthy as their new head coach. McCarthy is looking to fill out his staff with quality hires that will ensure the team's success for next season. He has already brought in his new defensive coordinator, Patrick Graham, and he and McCarthy are working together to put together a coaching staff that maintains the winning culture in Pittsburgh. 

However, the news has just broken that Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander has been picked up by the Minnesota Vikings. Alexander will join an old friend, and a former Steelers linebackers coach, Brian Flores, in Minnesota to round out their coaching on the defensive side. Alexander has coached for the Steelers for parts of three seasons and has helped the development of young stars like Joey Porter Jr. 

Alexander, the former second-round pick by the Detroit Lions in 2007, has proven to be one of the best defensive back coaches in the league and was a very sought-after assistant. The now-former Steelers assistant seemed pleased with his poaching with a cryptic post on X Saturday morning. 

Alexander joins a Minnesota defensive staff that is coached by Flores as mentioned, an original candidate for the Steelers' head coaching job before McCarthy was officially named. Alexander will coach at two levels, being named the defensive pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach. The move reunites the two who have a storied past. Alexander hopes that this move is a stepping stone to continue to climb up the ladder of NFL coaching. This leaves the Steelers without a defensive backs coach for the time being, and yet another coaching void that McCarthy will need to fill. 

The Steelers will be able to start fresh on the defensive side with their new DC and head coach. Graham will likely be heavily involved in who is hired for the job. 

How Are The Steelers Going To Respond?

Alexander was one of the few coaches who were retained by McCarthy after his hiring. McCarthy clearly believed in Alexander to continue to develop the Steelers' secondary that just came off an impressive season. The secondary was a glowing group this past season, with breakout seasons from Porter and James Pierre. The corners were both seen as projects or still had some holes left in their game. The two had each of their best seasons yet, thanks to the development help from Alexander. Porter was considered a top cornerback in the league after a penalty-riddled first three seasons. The Penn State product allowed no touchdowns in coverage and held opponents to 48.5% completion rate. Porter also limited his penalties and became an all-around player. Pierre broke out as well. In his sixth season, Pierre finally proved why the Steelers gave him a second contract and held quarterbacks to a 41.4 passer rating when targeted, one of the best in the league. 

The Steelers will need to respond accordingly after this loss, based on how well the Steelers' secondary developed this past season. They will need to react quickly to fill the giant hole left by Alexander's absence. The Steelers could look to hire internally or go out and get another coach from another team. McCarthy and Graham will do their due diligence to ensure that there is no regression in the quality of coaching in the Steelers' secondary. The Steelers need to find an assistant who will continue to develop guys like Porter and Pierre, as they could be mainstays in the Steelers secondary for years to come. 

What do you think? How should the Steelers handle this poaching? Who should they hire next? Let us know in the comment section below!

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