Steelers set to hire Bill Belichick disciple as defensive coordinator

The Pittsburgh Steelers are on the verge of hiring their new defensive coordinator under Mike McCarthy.

According to Gerry Dulac of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steelers are closing in on hiring Patrick Graham to be their defensive coordinator. Graham served as the Las Vegas Raiders ' defensive coordinator for three seasons.

"New Steelers coach Mike McCarthy is close to bringing in Patrick Graham as his defensive coordinator, per sources. Graham, 47, was defensive coordinator the past three seasons with the Raiders. He also served in that role with the Dolphins (2019) and Giants (2020-21)," Dulac said on X.

Graham has a ton of experience as a defensive coordinator, having served in that role for three teams since 2019.

His most recent stop was with the Raiders, where he elevated the talent on Las Vegas' unit and led them to a top-10 scoring finish in 2023.

Graham worked with the New England Patriots in multiple defensive coaching roles from 2009 to 2015, so he is from the Bill Belichick tree and will look to take his experiences to Pittsburgh.

With the right talent, Graham is a capable defensive coordinator. The Steelers' defense is much more talented than any of the Raiders' defenses Graham had to work with, so this should be a solid hire from McCarthy.