Just this week, Art Rooney II, president of the Pittsburgh Steelers, made it clear that Mike McCarthy would soon begin assembling his coaching staff. Rooney also acknowledged that the process wouldn’t be simple, largely because McCarthy had interest in assistants who were still under contract elsewhere. Fast forward to now, and the Steelers’ new head coach has already made his first major defensive hire ahead of the 2026 season.

Per reports, Pittsburgh has hired Patrick Graham as its next defensive coordinator, replacing Teryl Austin. The move comes after Austin’s contract expired following the Steelers’ Wild Card loss, which ended their playoff run. Austin had served as Pittsburgh’s defensive coordinator since 2022, a role Graham now steps into.

Graham, 47, arrives in Pittsburgh after spending the past three seasons as the defensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders. Before breaking into the NFL, he built his résumé at the college level. Graham coached at Wagner, Richmond, Notre Dame, and Toledo. His NFL journey began in 2009 with the New England Patriots. And after stints with the New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, and Miami Dolphins, he landed in Las Vegas in 2022.

However, Graham joins McCarthy’s staff coming off a difficult 2025 season with the Raiders. Las Vegas finished 3–14. In the process, they surrendered 432 points, an average of 25.4 points per game, ranking 25th in the league. The Defense also allowed roughly 322 yards per game, placing it around the middle of the league in total yards allowed despite the poor overall record.

Now, Graham takes over a Steelers defense that gave up 387 points in 2025, about 22.8 points per game, also placing it near the middle of the league. Through the air, Pittsburgh surrendered 4,437 passing yards, averaging roughly 261 yards per game, highlighting an area that will likely be a focus moving forward. But for McCarthy, that’s not the only coaching hiring.

Besides Graham, the Steelers are also bringing in veteran offensive line coach James Campen. Campen brings both experience and familiarity. He has worked under McCarthy with the Packers from 2007 to 2017 before being promoted to run game coordinator in 2018. After that, he spent time around the league coaching offensive lines for multiple teams. Now, Campen reunites with his former head coach, and potentially his former quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, should the 42-year-old decide to return for another season

That said, Rooney previously emphasized that McCarthy would need time to finalize his staff. And it’s now clear that the process is well underway. Still, despite the reshuffle, McCarthy is retaining a handful of assistants from the previous staff as the Steelers head into 2026.

Mike McCarthy to retain three of Mike Tomlin’s coaches in 2026

After the Steelers replaced Mike Tomlin with Mike McCarthy, many expected a full-scale coaching overhaul. That hasn’t entirely been the case. According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, McCarthy is “expected to bring back” three members of Tomlin’s staff for the 2026 season.

“Mike McCarthy is expected to bring back three members of Mike Tomlin’s staff—linebackers coach Scott McCurley, who was on his staff in Dallas; QB coach Tom Arth; and secondary coach Gerald Alexander, per sources,” Dulac wrote on ‘X.’

The reasoning is fairly straightforward. McCurley already has a working history with McCarthy. He served on his staff with the Dallas Cowboys from 2020 to 2024. After Dallas moved on from McCarthy following the 2024 season, McCurley landed in Pittsburgh, making his retention a natural fit.

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As for Arth and Alexander, neither brings prior familiarity with McCarthy. But both appear to have done enough in their respective roles to justify continuity. That said, beyond the individual cases, keeping select pieces of the previous staff gives McCarthy a practical advantage. It allows him to lean on coaches who already understand the organization while still reshaping the staff in his own image. How that balance plays out will become clearer once the Steelers take the field in 2026.