The Pittsburgh Steelers have undergone significant changes this offseason, particularly on their coaching staff. Mike Tomlin stepped down after 19 years, and Mike McCarthy was hired to be the 17th head coach in franchise history.
Along with McCarthy, nearly an entirely new coaching staff is in place, including offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, and special teams coordinator Danny Crossman.
Despite that, Steelers GM Omar Khan doesn’t believe there will be significant changes to the team’s scheme and play style.
“No, no, no. Absolutely not. Defensively, you guys will still see the 3-4 defense. Offensively, things are obviously gonna change a little bit with the new scheme, but nothing drastic,” Khan told local reporters Tuesday, according to audio via Steelers Depot’s Joe Clark.
In his introductory press conference, McCarthy stated that he was keeping the 3-4 defense, which is a Pittsburgh staple. The 3-4 defense has long been part of the Steelers’ identity. As a Pittsburgh native, McCarthy wasn’t going to change that.
The scheme and how the Steelers handle some things defensively should change though, especially with Graham now overseeing things. Last season, the scheme was a real issue for some defensive players, like linebacker Patrick Queen and even slot cornerback Brandin Echols, especially coming out of the Week 12 loss to the Chicago Bears.
Time and again, the players were frustrated, and it nearly came to a head late in the year. Now, there’s change from Teryl Austin to Graham. What that looks like in 2026 remains to be seen, but the Graham hiring seems to be an upgrade.
The biggest change will occur on offense as McCarthy brings elements of his West Coast philosophy to the table. Last year under OC Arthur Smith, the Steelers were heavy in 12 and 13 personnel. That might not be the case under McCarthy this season as 11 personnel should be utilized more.
McCarthy still wants to run the football and emphasized the importance of winning games up front with the offensive line, so the Steelers will still likely look similar as far as their overall approach. The changes might not be major, but they won’t be too subtle either with the new coaching staff, and that’s all that will really matter in the end.
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