PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers hired former Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham for the same role in Mike McCarthy's staff, the team announced Friday afternoon.
Graham, who arrived in Pittsburgh late in the week for an in-person interview, spent the last four seasons as the Raiders' defensive coordinator, but he was also a member of McCarthy's Green Bay Packers staff as the linebackers coach and run game coordinator for McCarthy's final season in 2018.
That season, the Packers ranked 16th in rushing yards per game allowed (116.3) and 11th in rush yards per attempt (4.2).
Prior to that, Graham learned under Bill Belichick and Brian Flores in New England as a defensive assistant in various roles from 2009-15 before spending two seasons as the New York Giants' defensive line coach under defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. He also served as the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins (2019) and returned to the Giants as the DC under Joe Judge from 2020-21.
The Raiders ranked 13th in yards allowed (317.8) in 2025 and 25th in points per game (25.4). The Raiders were also 18th in rushing yards per game (116.8) and 29th in completion percentage allowed (68.51%).
Graham's defense, though, was a top-10 unit in 2023, ranking ninth in points allowed (19.5) after checking in at 26th a year earlier. In his introductory press conference, McCarthy said he wanted the Steelers to remain in a 3-4 defense and build off the foundation already in place. Graham has experience coordinating both 3-4 and 4-3 defenses.
"I feel good about the direction," McCarthy said Tuesday, adding that he "loves the roster." "I'm really excited about the defense. ... Defense wins championships. The history of the Steelers defense and staying with the 3-4 is important, as far as the origin of it. That's something we have to build off of. I've been a head coach for 18 years. I've had one top-5 defense, and we won the Super Bowl that year. The importance of defense is critical."
The Steelers are also expected to add Washington Commanders assistant Jason Simmons to a "prominent" defensive role, sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Simmons, a former linebacker selected by the Steelers in the fifth round of the 1998 NFL Draft, also interviewed for the defensive coordinator job and worked with both Graham and McCarthy in Green Bay as a secondary coach. Simmons has been the defensive pass game coordinator for the Commanders since 2024.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Steelers notified the New Orleans Saints that they plan to interview assistant Scott Tolzien, a quarterback in Green Bay under McCarthy, for the offensive coordinator job. McCarthy said Tuesday he planned to call plays, but Tolzien brings experience developing quarterbacks after working with rookie Tyler Shough last season. The team also hired offensive line coach James Campen, who also worked with McCarthy in Green Bay.
While McCarthy is bringing in some new-to-Pittsburgh faces to his staff, he expressed the desire to retain some staff members in his introductory press conference. Among those could be linebackers coach Scott McCurley, who coached with McCarthy in Green Bay and Dallas. McCarthy could also target secondary coach Gerald Alexander as a coach to retain, but he's expected to have interest in joining Brian Flores' defensive staff in Minnesota, sources told ESPN.
"I don't believe in the throw out the baby with the bathwater method," McCarthy said Tuesday. "I believe building off what's in place. There's a lot here in place. I mean, the defense system has been here since 1992. So, it came here with Coach [Bill] Cowher and Dom Capers. Always been a fan of it and always felt it was the toughest one to compete against as an offensive coach. Part of the reason why I went to it in Green Bay. So those are the things we're focused on right now.
"We're putting the staff together. Ideally, we want to keep the language the same. So, I think those are big decisions when you come in here, because when you've got something that works the way it's worked here for so long, I think you should try to do everything you can to build off of that, if possible."
