The Pittsburgh Steelers have gone through many changes as an organization ahead of the 2026 season. For the first time in almost 20 years, they will have a new head coach on the sidelines in Mike McCarthy. McCarthy assembled his staff quickly as the franchise looks to retool instead of trying to do a full rebuild. With quarterback Aaron Rodgers returning, the offense looks to improve on their ranking of 25th in total offense in 2025. However, offense is not the only unit where they will look to improve, as new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has plenty of work to do on defense.
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Steelers' new head coach Mike McCarthy smiles as he addresses the media during his introductory press conference that took place at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA.
Graham takes over the defense after Teryl Austin had overseen them for a few years. It was often speculated that former head coach Mike Tomlin had full control over the group. However, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic recently appeared on the 102.5 FM WDVE Morning Show and mentioned that things will be changing in the Steel City in 2026. It appears Graham will have an important role in orchestrating a turnaround with that unit.
"I think Patrick Graham has great autonomy to make a lot of decisions for the Steelers' defense," DeFabo said. "He's also a critical part here. He is really actually a much bigger and more important piece than maybe people are realizing."
The new defensive coordinator comes over after years with the Las Vegas Raiders and did some great work in orchestrating an improvement in them during his time there. In 2023, the Raiders ended up finishing ninth in scoring defense under his leadership, allowing only 19.5 points per game. With limited resources and talent in Las Vegas, Graham was still able to get more out of Maxx Crosby as well, the star defensive end for the team. He finished the year with 10 sacks and an INT.
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Pittsburgh Steelers' new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham during his time with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Graham now has arguably a better opportunity in the Steel City with more resources, on top of the additions the organization made this offseason. General Manager Omar Khan wasted little time in free agency to go out and fill holes on the roster both offensively and defensively. With this report of Graham getting full autonomy over the defense by DeFabo, he will have several new weapons at his disposal to improve the group in 2026.
Steelers' New Pieces For Graham Should Set Team Up For Success In 2026
Pittsburgh added several explosive weapons on the defensive side of the football for 2026, including Jamel Dean at cornerback, as well as the signing of safety Jaquan Brisker. To add on to that in the secondary, they will also get DeShon Elliot back healthy at safety, as well as Joey Porter Jr. at cornerback who had a breakout 2025 season.
Elliott also recently mentioned how excited he is to play alongside the newly-added Brisker, so Graham will have plenty of depth at his disposal as well. The team finished 26th in the NFL in terms of total defense, allowing 356.9 yards per game to the opposition in 2025. Their rushing defense fared much better, as they finished 13th in that category, whereas the passing defense finished at 29th in the league thanks to a 243.9 yards per game mark. Graham will look to improve on these rankings significantly in 2026.
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Steelers' new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham works with defense as the team practices during an Organized Team Activities (OTAs) workout in Pittsburgh, PA.
The Steelers' defensive coordinator definitely has a lot on his plate and plenty to clean up given the results of last season. However, he does have a track record of great leadership overseeing defenses, especially that 2023 season in Las Vegas where they finished ninth in scoring. Now Graham has the chance to transcend the defense of one of the most storied franchises in the NFL, as well as return them back to their past dominant ways.
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