The Pittsburgh Steelers will enter their Week 8 matchup at home against their division rival Cleveland Browns on a three-game winning streak. In fact, they have not lost since their Week 4 loss on the road in Cleveland. One of the biggest reasons behind their success the last three weeks has been their defense. This comes as defensive linemen Derrick Harmon and Sebastian Joseph-Day are on Injured Reserve (IR). Even with those injuries, new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is seeing inspired play from Yahya Black on the defensive line. On Tuesday, he received praise from a former Steelers defender for his performances in recent weeks.
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Steelers defensive lineman Yahya Black bats down pass during preseason game against the Jets.
In Sunday's win over the New Orleans Saints, Black had a pass defended as well as a tackle for loss. Through seven games this season, Graham's group as a whole has been playing like a top-10 defense in the NFL. When it comes to rushing defense, they have had to shut down some of the biggest feature running backs in the league. They have done a great job in doing so and are seventh in the NFL, allowing 91 yards per game to opponents on the ground.
On Tuesday, Trai Essex was on during an episode of The Snap Count podcast. While recapping the game with former quarterback Charlie Batch, they mentioned the work done by the Pittsburgh defense so far this season. During their discussion, Essex made sure to give the defensive lineman his flowers, especially in the absence of Harmon.
“[Yahya Black] just looks huge out there,” Essex said. “He looks like an immovable object. I think even with the loss of Derrick Harmon, people haven’t been mentioning that.”
The former Iowa defensive lineman was drafted in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Steelers. However, his size is something that has been of tremendous value to Graham's group with a couple of guys injured up front. He stands at 6-foot-5 and 330 pounds, making him practically the immovable object that Essex referenced on Tuesday during his show. His size is noticeable when he is on the field and it was especially seen when he was able to bat down a pass attempt by Saints quarterback Tyler Shough in the win in Paris, France.
Graham mentioned a few times this offseason that he wanted the defense to reassert the dominance they were once known to have in the Steel City. Graham mentioned one key focus to stopping New Orleans on Sunday and his group rose to the occasion. While there could be reason to exercise caution with believing in the defense, the season is now almost at the halfway point and their numbers prove exactly how good they stack up against the rest of the NFL.
Steelers' Defense Is Making Graham's Words Come True In 2026
With the frequent manner in which Graham discussed what he wanted to accomplish ahead of this season, his unit is really making his words come true. On top of being seventh in rush defense, they are also sixth in the NFL in total defense, allowing an average of 303.7 yards per game through seven games. This comes with them making running backs Jonathan Taylor and Bucky Irving look like shells of themselves due to their way to be able to contain them. Black, in his second year in the NFL, has been a huge part in that as he has answered the call when his team has really needed it.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham during 2026 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
He should factor into future plans in terms of playing time in 2026, especially with how the Steelers are not shy to rotate players on defense to keep them fresh. Edge rusher TJ Watt has reaped the benefits of that so far under Graham's leadership. He looks more like his dominant self he played like in his prime than a veteran starting to age. For Black, he can keep earning playing time if he is able to consistently be the immovable object Essex mentioned.
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