The Pittsburgh Steelers have lost some coaches this offseason already. That includes Defensive Backs Coach Gerald Alexander, who was hired by the Las Vegas Raiders as their safeties coach. They also had two strength and conditioning coaches move on. Marcel Pastoor left after 23 years and Rodain Delus, the assistant left after six years. However, when one door closes, another one often opens. The Steelers have gotten a blast from the past in the form of Mike Mitchell, and he wants to come back to the Steel City.
Mitchell, who played safety for the Steelers for four seasons in the mid-2010s, made the move into coaching in 2022. The Indianapolis Colts hired him as their assistant defensive backs coach. However, he recently learned that his contract had not been renewed along with Defensive Line Coach Nate Ollie.
This led longtime Steelers reporter, Mark Kaboly from The Athletic to post that Mitchell should join the Steelers. Kaboly said that given the fact that Alexander left the team, the Steelers should really call Mitchell and interview him. He has been a positive addition to the Colts' roster the past two years and would make a "great add to the staff" per Kaboly. The best part? Mitchell responded!
"Would be an honor and an amazing opportunity," posted Mitchell in response to Kaboly.
During his time in Indianapolis, Mitchell worked primarily with safeties as an assistant to the defensive backs coach Ron Milus. Under his tutelage, Colts' safeties Rodney McLeod and Julian Blackmon had impressive statistics the past two seasons. However, there were more inconsistencies with their younger players, Nick Cross and Rodney Thomas II.
Mitchell also took some heat for the fact that he publicly disagreed with the suspension of Steelers safety Damontae Kazee. The NFL branded Kazee as a repeat offender, charged with "targeting" defenseless offensive players. He said on his X account that he would just tell all wide receivers to dive for every catch since it seems like it will draw them a flag. The implication being the offense would pick up the first down either way.
Steelers Could Use A Fresh Set Of Eyes In The Secondary
The Steelers had some struggles with their secondary defense the past couple of seasons. This left them open to decimation by many of the newer, high-powered passing offenses. In 2023, star free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was limited by injury, missing seven games. It is impossible to understate the impact he has on the team as a whole. He earned a Pro Bowl nomination however, despite missing almost half of the season.
He was joined by Kazee, a veteran that the Steelers signed before the 2022 season. Kazee was drafted in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. The Steelers brought another veteran in to help Fitzpatrick and Kazee, future Hall of Famer Patrick Peterson. While Peterson, who was originally a cornerback, might be a little long in the tooth, he transitioned over to a hybrid kind of player and moved all over the secondary.
The Steelers' defense struggled with injuries all season. On top of the one to Fitzpatrick, veteran Keanu Neal was also placed on the injured reserve in November. This meant that their most consistent player was Kazee, so his suspension was a huge blow. The team had to bring in players like Eric Rowe to have enough men on the roster.
While it isn't a sure thing which defensive players will be back in 2024, the secondary still needs improvement and could benefit from a young, aggressive coach like Mitchell. In addition, Mitchell is very familiar with Head Coach Mike Tomlin and General Manager Omar Khan, plus he understands the "Steeler way." During his 10 years in the NFL, Mitchell had 11 interceptions, 42 passes defended, nine forced fumbles, eight fumble recoveries, 514 combined tackles, 13 tackles for a loss, and 22 quarterback hits.
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