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Defensive Coordinator · PIT

Patrick Graham

Patrick Graham

Defensive Coordinator, Pittsburgh Steelers (PIT).

Quick Facts

Background

Patrick Graham spent the last four seasons as the Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator, his 17th year coaching in the NFL. During his NFL coaching career, Graham has held a variety of defensive roles with the New England Patriots (2009-15), New York Giants (2016-17, 2020-21), Green Bay Packers (2018), Miami Dolphins (2019) and Raiders (2022-25). He has been a defensive coordinator each of the last seven years, including also holding the title of assistant head coach with the Giants from 2020-21.

2026 Outlook

Graham brings an aggressive, blitz-heavy philosophy to Pittsburgh after seven years as Las Vegas DC. Unlike Mike Tomlin's predictable 3-4 "bend don't break" approach, Graham emphasizes early-down pressure (7+ man blitzes), disguised coverages, and fire-zone packages designed to confuse offensive linemen. This scheme should unlock elite pass rushers like T.J. Watt and create more consistent pressure while maintaining efficiency—Graham's Raiders blitzed on 20% of snaps and achieved comparable EPA to the Steelers while they needed 28.7% blitz rate. Versatile players like Patrick Queen, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Jalen Ramsey should see elevated production in his system. (per Steelers DC Patrick Graham Will Revive 'Blitzburgh')

Scheme & Fantasy Angle

Graham takes over as defensive coordinator after seven straight years calling defenses, and the unit he builds shapes the Steelers' team defense/special-teams (DST) fantasy outlook. His aggressive blitz-first approach targets disruptive early-down pressure and coverage disguise rather than the prior bend-don't-break scheme.