The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a busy few weeks since their ugly playoff loss to the Houston Texans, first learning that head coach Mike Tomlin would not be returning, and then hiring veteran Mike McCarthy to take over the role. Still, numerous vacancies exist on the staff, including defensive coordinator, and the team is working hard to get those filled.
Recently, NFL insider Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported on a name that has reportedly risen to the top of the pack in the Steelers’ search for a new defensive coordinator.
“Patrick Graham is flying to Pittsburgh today to interview for the Steelers defensive coordinator job and is considered the frontrunner, per sources. While he still has to interview, the expectation in some league circles is that he will be the DC if all goes well,” reported Fowler on X, formerly Twitter.
Meanwhile, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reported on X that Graham had already accepted the job, so it remains to be seen what Thursday’s interview will entail.
Graham spent the last several seasons as the defensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders, working with such defense stars as Maxx Crosby during his tenure there, and has also held the same post for the New York Giants and the Miami Dolphins throughout his career.
The Steelers are certainly in an interesting spot moving forward as to what their future strategy will be. On the one hand, the Steelers still have several veteran elite players on their defense, led by TJ Watt, and that unit figures to at least keep them competitive heading into next season.
On the other hand, the end of the Tomlin era seemed to signal Pittsburgh’s potential willingness to embrace something of a rebuild for the first time in multiple decades, with the team having no clear answer at quarterback with Aaron Rodgers’ future in doubt.
Still, if the Steelers do end up hiring Graham, he will have a plethora of veteran talent to work with on the defensive side of the ball.
The post Steelers interviewing ‘front-runner’ Patrick Graham for DC role appeared first on ClutchPoints.
