They say aim for the moon and maybe you’ll land among the stars. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ new defensive coordinator, Patrick Graham, probably understands that mindset pretty well, especially considering the “moon” here is Pittsburgh’s legendary “Steel Curtain” standard. Graham may not be openly chasing comparisons to one of the greatest defensive eras in NFL history, but his goal is clearly to build one of the league’s top defensive units once again.

“There’s no needs for any gimmicks from me as a coordinator. I don’t need to make up any BS about that. The people around the town make it clear. They make it clear wherever you go to eat … we’re trying to earn our place in this tradition,” Graham said, per Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Christopher Carter.

Graham understands he does not need to manufacture fake motivation or create artificial pressure because the city of Pittsburgh already provides that naturally. Around the Steelers organization, everybody already knows the expectations attached to the defense. And those expectations are directly connected to the franchise’s legendary “Steel Curtain” identity.

Under legendary head coach Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh built one of the greatest defensive dynasties the league has ever seen during the 1970s, helping the franchise capture four Super Bowl titles within six seasons. The 1976 season alone perfectly captures just how dominant that unit became.

After opening the season 1-4, quarterback Terry Bradshaw missed four games because of neck and wrist injuries. But instead of collapsing, Pittsburgh’s defense completely took over the season.

Over the final nine games, the Steelers’ defense recorded five shutouts, including three straight, while allowing only two total touchdowns, both coming in the same game, alongside just five field goals. During that stretch, Pittsburgh surrendered an absurd average of only 3.1 points per game while winning by an average margin of 22 points.

Now, realistically, expecting Graham to recreate something close to that would probably be unfair. But at the same time, the defensive coordinator has made his mentality crystal clear from the start. He is not arriving in Pittsburgh, trying to create flashy slogans, viral catchphrases, or fake motivational tactics to establish credibility as the Steelers’ new defensive coordinator.

Third-year linebacker Payton Wilson recently echoed that exact message while discussing Graham’s expectations for the defense moving forward. He said:

“(Graham’s) been really clear. He wants it to be the Steel Curtain, but we have to earn that right. That’s not just something that comes with being a part of the Steelers. Those are some great, great defenses that have earned that name. So, the identity’s still the same. We’re still in Pittsburgh and we want to be fast, we want to be tough, and we don’t wanna let anyone run the ball on us ever.”

And that mentality makes sense considering how disappointing Pittsburgh’s defense looked throughout the 2025 season. Under head coach Mike Tomlin and former defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, the defense was not terrible overall, but it also fell far away from elite standards.

The Steelers finished 26th in total yards allowed, ranked 17th in points allowed at 22.8 per game, and struggled badly against the pass after giving up 4,437 passing yards and 30 touchdowns throughout the season.

Fast forward to now, and Graham officially replaces Austin as Pittsburgh’s defensive coordinator heading into the 2026 season. But while Graham clearly wants to rebuild one of the NFL’s top defenses again, Steelers fans have also not been shy about reminding him exactly what standard they expect that defense to eventually reach.

The Steelers fans clear their expectations of Patrick Graham

It is not like Patrick Graham is becoming a defensive coordinator for the first time in his career. Still, the moment the Steelers hired him to replace Teryl Austin, the expectations surrounding him became obvious, especially considering Pittsburgh’s historic defensive reputation. Which is exactly why Steelers fans never really hesitate to remind Graham what standard they expect him to uphold.

“I’d rather go to a gas station, and go to a store…out for dinner, the airport, they get very serious about it,” Graham said, addressing the Steelers fans.

Graham arrives in Pittsburgh after spending four seasons as the defensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders. During the 2025 season, the Raiders finished 13th in total defense by allowing 317.8 yards per game while ranking 25th in points allowed at 25.4 per game. The unit also ranked 18th against the run at 116.8 rushing yards allowed per game and struggled heavily in coverage, finishing 29th in opponent completion percentage allowed at 68.51%.

And while this will technically be Graham’s first stint coaching in Pittsburgh, he is not exactly unfamiliar with the environment he is stepping into, either. Back in 2018, Graham worked under Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy with the Green Bay Packers as the team’s linebackers coach and run-game coordinator during McCarthy’s final season in Green Bay.

That Packers defense finished 16th in rushing yards allowed per game at 116.3 while ranking 11th in yards allowed per rushing attempt at 4.2. Fast forward to now, and Graham is reuniting with McCarthy once again, only this time as the Steelers’ defensive coordinator.

So, between the reunion with McCarthy and the massive expectations tied to Pittsburgh’s defensive legacy, Graham already understands exactly what the standard and pressure will look like heading into the 2026 season.