Steelers' New Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham Is Facing Pressure To Fix Major Defensive Issue

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a completely revamped coaching staff aside from a few areas. When Mike Tomlin decided to step down following the 2025 season. the franchise allowed all of the coaches on his staff to seek opportunities elsewhere, and that led to only a few coaches being retained by new head coach Mike McCarthy. He immediately began putting together his staff, and it was fair to assume that the most important hire that he was going to have to make would be at defensive coordinator. He decided to hire Patrick Graham, who had last served in the role for the Las Vegas Raiders.

The hiring of Graham was the most important decision due to the fact that McCarthy is an offensive-minded coach, and he had already declared that he would be calling the plays on offense. He also has an offensive coordinator, but the responsibilities of the position are mitigated severely due to McCarthy being so hands on with the offense. 

Graham is under a lot of pressure to perform well as the defensive coordinator as it has been a disappointing couple of seasons from the defense in Pittsburgh. The group is one of the highest-paid defenses in the league, which makes the disappointing performances hurt even worse.

In a recent article for The Athletic, Mike Jones posed a question for each new defensive play-caller. In Pittsburgh, the question is about how to get more out of the inside linebackers.

"The Steelers are always associated with physicality and punishing defenses, but Pittsburgh has proved average against the run and ranked among the bottom third in the league on third downs." Jones wrote. "The Steelers have invested heavily in their defensive line, but for new coordinator Patrick Graham to truly make improvements in this department, he’ll need improved execution from inside linebackers Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson. Both have the athleticism to make plays all over the field, but Graham will need to help each learn how to play with greater discipline and better execution so they become true tone-setters."

Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson are going to play key roles in Pittsburgh's defense in 2026. Queen is entering the final year of his deal, so he wants to play well so he can earn more money in free agency. Wilson is in a similar situation as he becomes eligible for an extension after the 2026 season.

Queen and Wilson have each put together some good performances while wearing the black and gold, but they have each been fairly inconsistent. There have been some games where the defense has just been dominated by the run, and a lot times that is going to fall on the inside linebackers. 

Graham is going to need to scheme things up in a way that might make life easier for Queen and Wilson, and hopefully that will put an end to the disastrous performances against the run that fans have grown accustomed to.

Steelers Have Another Name To Watch At Inside Linebacker Position

Outside of Queen and Wilson, the other inside linebackers on the roster include Malik Harrison and Cole Holcomb. Holcomb is a particularly interesting situation as he was always an underrated player in the NFL that had unfortunate luck when it came to injuries. 

That continued in 2023 as he was leading the team in tackles, but went down with a gruesome knee injury that caused him to miss the rest of the season as well as the entirety of 2024. He returned in 2025 and played a lot of special teams, but maybe there is a way for him to get back on the field more defensively if either Queen or Wilson struggles consistently.

What do you think Graham needs to do to get more out of Queen and Wilson? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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