PITTSBURGH (AP) — Former Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is heading east to run the defense for Mike McCarthy in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers hired Graham on Friday to take over a highly paid, if occasionally erratic defense as Pittsburgh hits reset following Mike Tomlin's departure earlier this month after 19 seasons as head coach.
Graham spent the last four years with the Raiders. The defense steadily improved during Graham's tenure. Las Vegas finished 28th in yards allowed during his first season in 2022 but finished 15th in 2023 and 2024 and nudged up to 14th in 2025.
Pittsburgh is Graham's fourth stop as a defensive coordinator. He previously worked in that position for the Miami Dolphins in 2019 and the New York Giants in 2020 and 2021.
The Steelers won the AFC North this season, but the defense led by defensive tackle Cam Heyward, outside linebacker T.J. Watt and defensive back Jalen Ramsey struggled getting stops at times. Pittsburgh finished 26th in yards allowed, its lowest ranking in that category since 1988, though the unit also produced 29 takeaways, tied for third in the league.
McCarthy, who was officially named as Tomlin's replacement on Tuesday, pledged to keep the 3-4 defensive alignment that has been the team's calling card for over 30 years.
While Heyward, Watt and Ramsey are all in their 30s, the Steelers do have a promising core of young talent led by rookie defensive tackle Derrick Harmon and third-year outside linebacker Nick Herbig.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
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