Report: Pittsburgh Steelers 'close' to hiring Patrick Graham as defensive coordinator under Mike McCarthy

The Pittsburgh Steelers are “close” to hiring Patrick Graham as defensive coordinator, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac reported. He would mark a key hire for new coach Mike McCarthy.

Graham spent the last three seasons as the Las Vegas Raiders’ defensive coordinator after serving in the role with the New York Giants from 2020-21 and the Miami Dolphins in 2019. He previously worked for McCarthy with the Green Bay Packers in 2018 before McCarthy’s dismissal that season.

Graham arrived in Las Vegas in 2022 under Josh McDaniels and stayed in his role as defensive coordinator when Antonio Pierce took over. In 2025, Pete Carroll became the Raiders’ head coach, and he also kept Graham on staff in the same capacity.

The Raiders defense ranked 14th in the NFL this past season with 5,403 yards allowed, while their 432 points allowed ranked 25th in the league. That came after they ranked 15th in the league in 2024, allowing 5,663 yards in addition to 434 points.

For comparison, in 2025, the Steelers ranked 17th in the NFL with 387 points allowed. However, their 6,068 yards allowed ranked 26th in the league.

McCarthy’s hire at defensive coordinator looms as a big one as he fills out his staff in Pittsburgh. He brings an offensive background to the Steelers – a departure from the previous three coaches the franchise hired since 1969.  Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin all coached on the defensive side of the ball. McCarthy also said he plans to call plays on offense.

During his introductory press conference as Steelers head coach this week, McCarthy noted how crucial the defense will be to bringing a Super Bowl title back to Pittsburgh. He also pointed out linebacker Alex Highsmith among those in attendance for the introduction, as well as the history of defense with the Steelers franchise.

“I’m really excited about the defense, great seeing Alex here,” McCarthy said, via Steelers.com’s Mike Prisuta. “The history of the Steelers defense and staying with the 3-4 is important as far as the origin of it, and that’s something we can build off.

“I’ve been a head coach 18 years, I’ve had one Top 5 defense, and we won a Super Bowl that year. The importance of defense is critical.”

The Steelers announced McCarthy’s hiring Saturday as the franchise’s fourth coach since 1969. He will replace Tomlin, who stepped down after the AFC Wild Card loss to the Houston Texans.