The Pittsburgh Steelers Defense Has No Excuses In 2026

Graham has spent seven seasons as a DC in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins, the New York Giants, and, most recently, the Las Vegas Raiders. His defenses have never been known for taking the ball away, but he has never had a group this talented. When the personnel are considered, Graham was getting more than he should’ve gotten out of his group in Vegas. The same could never be said for Austin in Pittsburgh. He got significantly less from the group than he should’ve on a consistent basis. 

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With all of the Steelers’ offseason additions, Graham should be able to have fun with this defense. Sebastian Joseph-Day will be a big help up front. Among defensive tackles with at least 200 snaps played, he ranked sixth in run stop rate in both 2024 and 2025. Cam Heyward finished third and seventh in those seasons. Stopping the run shouldn’t be a problem up front now with those two. Joseph-Day is a sneaky good acquisition for Pittsburgh. 

The additions of Jaquan Brisker and Jamel Dean are going to make the backend fun. Brisker is a traditional box safety, but having him can open up the versatility of Jalen Ramsey. If the Steelers want Ramsey to play the nickel, he can. Brisker can be used all over the field, including as an effective blitzer. The ability to run three safety sets now presents itself. They also have Darnell Savage back there now, and DeShon Elliott will be back this season. 

Slotting Dean next to Joey Porter Jr is super fun. He’s 29, but he was one of the best corners in football last season, according to the advanced metrics. He allowed the fewest yards per target last season at 4.7 yards. Looking at the splits, the Buccaneers’ defense was bad when Dean wasn’t on the field. If he replicates his 2025 season, he could be the best signing of the offseason by a mile. Having another competent corner beside Porter Jr is an exciting idea. 

End Of My Steelers Rant

The depth of this Steelers defense is insane, and they still have the most picks in the upcoming NFL Draft in their own backyard. Guys like Brandin Echols, Asante Samuel Jr, Nick Herbig, Jack Sawyer, and Yahya Black will still play large roles on Graham’s defense. It hurts to put these kinds of expectations on Graham, but there’s no reason that this Steelers defense shouldn’t be a top 10 unit. There is an argument for the top five, but failing to be in the top 10 would be a colossal disappointment. The upgrades have been nice. Now it’s time to perform at a high level.