The Pittsburgh Steelers' new coaching staff is busy at work this week as the team goes through Organized Team Activities a couple months before training camp. With an entirely new coaching staff, as well as many new faces on the roster, there has been a massive amount of change in the Steel City. One new coach is turning heads in a big way so far.
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Steelers' Mike McCarthy coaches up his team during voluntary veteran minicamp in 2026.
On Tuesday, Ray Fittipaldo appeared on the Steelers Collective podcast and discussed one of the new coaches on the staff for Mike McCarthy. His comments revealed a hidden issue that plagued their defense in 2025. Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham joins the staff in Pittsburgh following several years with the Las Vegas Raiders. He has already been praised by linebacker Payton Wilson following day one of OTAs for the team. Fittipaldo's comments also shed some light on Graham's experience in the NFL throughout his coaching career.
"Mike McCarthy just kind of hands Patrick Graham ownership of that unit and it's going to be fun to see what he can do," Fittipaldo said. "I love the [Bill] Belichick background. You can talk about New England and Spygate and all that other stuff, but Bill Belichick was a details guy. If this Steelers defense needs something, they need to be on the same page and everything with Patrick Graham is talking about."
Graham began his coaching career with the New England Patriots, working for seven seasons under Bill Belichick in various different roles throughout that time. One of the biggest knocks on former head coach Mike Tomlin was that he seemed to want to have the final say over his defenses, despite having former defensive coordinator Teryl Austin in place last season on the coaching staff. However, Fittipaldo suggests that we should see a more hands off approach from McCarthy when it comes to allowing Graham coach the defense in 2026.
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Steelers’ Patrick Graham (left) speaking with Antonio Pierce (right) during their time together in Las Vegas.
Pittsburgh has had issues with communication on defense in recent seasons, despite the amount of talented players they have on that side of the football. The defense was not all bad in 2025, but when it broke down, it came with guys well out of place and that usually is due to communication breakdowns on the field. However, it looks as if things are ready to be changed for the better in the upcoming 2026 NFL season under Graham.
Steelers Have A Great Leader In Graham
The Raiders had a defensive turnaround under Graham's leadership during his time with the franchise that was widely recognized in the NFL. In 2022, their defense finished 26th in the NFL with 418 points allowed on the year, which averaged out to 24.6 per game. However, they were able to flip the script in 2023 and ended up finishing in the top 10 in scoring defense at ninth overall. The 2023 Raiders team allowed 331 points that year, which was an average of just 19.5 points per game.
Now Graham has the chance to revitalize a very talented unit in his first year on the sidelines for the Black and Gold. The organization has a massive front, headlined by edge rushers TJ Watt, Nick Herbig, and Alex Highsmith. In the secondary, they saw a breakout year from cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and added some pieces to that by signing cornerback Jamel Dean and safety Jaquan Brisker.
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Pittsburgh Steelers edge rushers Nick Herbig, Alex Highsmith, and TJ Watt listen to the anthem before an NFL game in 2023.
It is clear that Pittsburgh has a more well-rounded defense in terms of talent, which means more resources for Graham to guide in 2026. His leadership has a proven track record of some success in the league, and learning under a future Hall of Fame head coach like Belichick makes him a great commodity to have. It should be interesting to see if his experiences from previous coaching situations can translate to an improved defense for the Steelers.
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