Steelers' 2025 Defensive Coaching Staff Exposed By Former Players After A Season Full Of Miscues

The Pittsburgh Steelers are undergoing a period of transition after long-time head coach Mike Tomlin stepped down following a tough Wild Card loss. After 19 years with Tomlin at the helm, the things he had done are changing rapidly under a new coaching staff. With that, some of the blunders of 2025 and previous seasons under Tomlin are coming to light. 2025's defense was one of the weak points of the team, despite the unit being the highest-paid and second-oldest in the league. 

With many citing miscommunications and poor scheming as reasons for the defense's failure, it's clear that no matter what, the unit was not up to the standard it should have been. With that being said, some players have come out and commended the new coaching staff for how great the communication has been thus far, even throughout the early parts of the offseason. This is a great sign, after many big plays occurred due to players not being in the right spot in 2025. With the Steelers having the talent that they do, mental errors should not happen. 

On a recent episode of the Deebo & Joe podcast, the pair of former Steelers defenders discussed the 2025 defense and how this year seems to be different already. In that conversation, James Harrison and Joe Haden ripped on the former Steelers coaching staff, especially Harrison. Harrison alluded to conversations he had with players on the 2025 defense about some of the issues they were experiencing. 

"...That leads me to remind you of conversations we had with players last year who said at different times they were told different things by different coaches on the same defense," Harrison said. 

The Steelers' defense had some really poor miscommunications, especially in Week 18 against the Baltimore Ravens, where Ravens receivers were left uncovered for huge touchdowns. Thankfully, the Black and Gold won that game, but it was a showcase of how even after a full season of playing together, the defense still wasn't on the same page. 

Only two position coaches were retained by the new coaching staff, proving that the previous regime's staff had little to offer and new head coach Mike McCarthy wanted to install his own coaches in place. While that's typical, Tomlin retained a lot of Bill Cowher's staff when he was hired. McCarthy wants a defense that is able to communicate and utilize their highly-paid talents to their advantage. Hopefully, this season can flip the script, as the talent on the Steelers' defense is just too great to be among the bottom in many defensive categories. 

How Can The Steelers' Defense Play Up To Their Standard In 2026?

Pittsburgh has already moved on from the poor coaching that was one of the reasons for the underwhelming unit in 2025. But how can the staff be sure history doesn't repeat itself? It all starts with verbiage that is used amongst all players and coaches. If everyone knows the defense and can be flexible, the communication can be better. Another aspect of the defense that the new defensive coordinator, Patrick Graham, is instilling is the versatility of his players. Graham hasn't shied away from telling his edge rushers that they need to be able to play both sides. 

With the new defense taking shape, the expectations are only higher in 2026. This unit needs to bounce back, not just because of the price tag, but because of the expectations for a Pittsburgh Steelers defense. Historically, the team has had some of the most dominant defenses ever. With the existing talent on this side of the ball, there are no excuses this year with a new coaching staff and scheme. It's up to the players to show out and prove that they were limited by outside factors in 2025. 

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