Last week, Ryan and Ryland gave you the top storylines to follow on the offense as the Steelers prepare to start training camp. With Wednesday marking the first practice open to the public, Read & React return to give you all the things you should be on the lookout for on the opposite side of the ball.
Patrick Graham’s influence
RP: Of all the changes the Steelers made this offseason, the naming of Patrick Graham as defensive coordinator may be the hardest to pre-evaluate with any sense of certainty. Graham comes to Pittsburgh
with a seemingly positive reputation among NFL circles, though it is difficult to point to any particularly stellar defenses on his resume. Rather, he is a coach who has been credited with making the most out of some truly awful rosters on paper.
Graham has worked under several respected defensive minds during his NFL journey. For seven seasons, starting in 2009, Graham worked his way up the coaching ranks in New England, learning from Bill Belichick. Following that, a two-year stop with the Giants had Graham paired with Steve Spagnuolo. A one-year stop in 2018 had him working under Mike McCarthy and defensive coordinator Mike Pettine. In 2019, Graham took his first defensive coordinator job with first-year head coach Brian Flores. Graham then spent two seasons as the Giants defensive coordinator and assistant head coach before joining the Raiders as coordinator in 2022.
With just a varied CV and a wealth of coaching philosophy inspirations, it’s no wonder that Graham has thus far been a bit of a chameleon. He’s known for adapting his defenses to the players at his disposal, which makes pinning down a signature concept or scheme with his defenses difficult. Head coach Mike McCarthy insisted during his introductory presser that much of the Steelers’ defensive philosophies will remain the same, which I interpret to mean that the Steelers “base” defense will remain in a 3-4 alignment. However, with the 2025 Steelers running sub-packages at a 61% rate, according to Sharp Football Analysis, I’m not exactly sure how important that will be to the bottom line.
Looking at some basic stats also makes it hard to paint a picture of Graham’s potential and impact, given the rosters he was handed. As I mentioned previously, his three prior defensive coordinator jobs have been the Raiders, the Ben McAdoo-led Giants, and the first year of the Brian Flores Dolphins — you know, when Flores alleges Miami owner Stephen Ross offered him a $100,000 bonus for every loss. I won’t list out every defensive roster Graham has overseen, but a quick Wikipedia or Ourlads search of those teams will show you what I’m talking about.
It could be argued that this year’s Steeler defense is the best collection of talent Graham has ever had to work with as a coordinator. Whether Graham’s playcalling and scheming proves to be a ceiling raiser, merely provides a relatively high floor, or something else entirely will be one of the top storylines to follow this season.
Can Steelers’ pass rush return to elite form?
RB: The Steelers’ outside linebacker room is still considered very good and perhaps the biggest strength of the team, but it’s fair to say it doesn’t look quite as formidable as it has in past seasons. In fact, not a single member of the black and gold logged a double-digit sack season in 2025, with Alex Highsmith coming the closest with 9.5. Nick Herbig finished second with 7.5, while T.J. Watt surprisingly came in at third with just seven.
It’ll be interesting to see how Watt’s game evolves as he plays deeper into his 30s. He obviously still has gas in the tank, but isn’t as twitchy of a speed rusher as he was in his prime. With a fresh start of sorts under a new coaching staff in 2026, there’s hope he’ll be able to unlock more of his game with a greater emphasis on power and moving around the formation.
Meanwhile, Herbig is an ascending talent who got a big payday from the Steelers in June, showing the team sees him as a long-term starting piece moving forward. His increasing development and usage will be something to watch.
Highsmith, who I’d argue was the team’s best all-around outside linebacker last year, isn’t as intriguing from a storyline perspective, but it will be interesting to see how coordinator Patrick Graham decides to split snaps between him, Watt and Herbig.
Don’t forget about second-year outside linebacker Jack Sawyer, either. He’s still the clear No. 4 option in the room, but made some plays as a rookie, and could make a leap in 2026.
The interior pass rush is a bit of a story as well. While Keeanu Benton recorded a career-best 5.5 sacks in 2025, Cam Heyward recorded his lowest total in a full season since 2012 with 3.5. How will the Steelers best push the pocket from the inside in 2026?
A new look secondary
RP: Of the eight defensive backs that were on the Steelers’ initial 53-man roster in 2025, only four remain on the roster. This change is especially clear at safety, where DeShon Elliott — who played in only five games due to injuries in 2025— is the lone safety remaining from that group, as well as Kyle Dugger and Jabril Peppers, who were added in-season but not retained for 2026. Meanwhile, three cornerbacks return: budding star Joey Porter Jr., Jalen Ramsey, and the versatile Brandin Echols. A fourth corner, Asante Samuel Jr., is also back after joining the team last November and agreeing to a one-year contract this offseason.
While Porter had a great individual season a year ago, the rest of the unit was in disarray. The Steelers allowed the fourth-most passing yards per game (243.9), yards after catch (2,224), and were tied for the fourth-highest average yards of separation per target (3.7). They also tied for the eighth-most passing touchdowns allowed (30), which is crazy to consider when you account for their top corner (Porter Jr.) surrendering zero touchdowns all season. Opposing offense often could tell what the Steelers were running pre-snap, and they picked the defense apart accordingly.
It comes as little surprise then that the front office has completely revamped the defensive backfield. Cornerback Jamel Dean was the team’s prized free agent acquisition, and the 29-year-old is coming off his best season as a pro. Likewise, safety Jaquan Brisker, a Penn State product, is expected to provide a massive upgrade at safety. He signed a one-year, prove-it deal after a bounce-back season in 2025. Brisker missed all but five games in 2024 while dealing with concussion symptoms.
The Steelers added additional depth pieces — which Ryland will address in a section below — but the hope is that those two major additions will bring out the best of the returning players. Ideally, Dean will complete a smothering duo with Porter Jr., Elliott can remain healthy and form a feisty tandem with Brisker, and that will allow Ramsey to play more nickel and be moved around the backfield strategically by Graham.
Will it all work as smoothly as intended? That’s something I hope we can catch glimpses of this summer.
Will the run defense be better?
RB: This isn’t as much of a storyline as it was coming into last season, but the Steelers run defense still has its warts depending on what stats you’re looking at. In terms of raw totals, Pittsburgh’s 2025 run defense was respectable, although certainly inconsistent, finishing with the 13th-fewest yards allowed per game with a 113.1-yard average. Next Gen Stats also shows they had decent results with 1.16 yards before contact per carry (11th), and the team also finished fourth in both rushing yards over expected (-63) and the same stat on a per-carry average (-0.14). Those statistics look like a middle-of -the-pack team that is at least trending in the right direction, right?
However, while the unit’s average yards before contact seemed decent, they allowed the 10th-highest average yards after contact (3.14). They also ranked 20th in EPA allowed per rush (-0.03), and ranked 23rd in stuffed percentage (14.6%), which measures the amount of running plays that resulted in no gain or a loss.
Overall, this storyline largely serves as a catch-all for a number of questions and narratives surrounding the Steelers’ front seven entering 2026. But let’s be honest — good luck learning much about anything, especially run defense, from limited training camp reps.
On the defensive line, Cam Heyward was great as always last season, but now he’s another year older. Derrick Harmon showed plenty of promise as a run defender, but both he and Keeanu Benton had their fair share of ups and downs against the ground game. Fifth-round rookie Yahya Black impressed in the preseason, but came down to earth a bit more than expected in the regular season, getting pushed around more often than you’d like at 336 pounds.
But entering only their second NFL seasons, Harmon and Black are absolutely candidates for a breakout of sorts in 2026.
Elsewhere up front, Sebastian Joseph-Day looks like the exact steady, starting-caliber veteran presence the Steelers needed up front to help out Heyward.
Especially if Pittsburgh is going to be in its 2-4-5 nickel package as much as Patrick Graham has hinted, the team could have a surprisingly deep defensive line rotation in 2026.
Moving to inside linebacker, there’s an expectation ahead of camp that Graham will ease some of the scheme requirements and communication issues the group has had in the past. Patrick Queen has looked like a legitimate star at times in the Steelers defense, but the duo of him and Payton Wilson disappointed in 2025 considering their potential. Can Queen regain some consistency, and can Wilson make a Year 3 leap?
Behind the main two linebackers, Cole Holcomb, in his second year back from injury, will look to claim the third spot on the depth chart as a run-down specialist. Former Raven Malik Harrison, and maybe even special teams ace Carson Bruener, will also be in contention for that role.
After the Steelers didn’t make any major changes to their inside linebacker room over the offseason, the team will certainly be hoping for some improvements from the names already on the roster.
Hold-ins or contracts for JPJ and Benton?
RP: We don’t need to belabor this storyline too much. It’s a necessary headache that most teams deal with on an annual basis, and one fans typically loathe talking about. So let’s keep it simple. The Steelers are thus far saying they’d like to reach deals with both young players, but have yet to set pen to paper.
Porter Jr. figures to be the more expensive extension of the two. Porter and his agent are likely looking for a minimum annual average value in the ballpark of $30 million. Right now, only three cornerbacks — Los Angeles’ Trent McDuffie, Indianapolis’ Sauce Gardner, and Houston’s Derek Stingley — have eclipsed that figure, but Porter is coming off his best season as a pro. While he’s been shown some disrespect in summer rankings lists, Porter Jr. should have a solid argument that he’s performed better than some other highly paid corners such as Jaycee Horn ($25 million AAV), DaRon Bland ($22.5 million AAV), and teammate Jalen Ramsey ($21.17 million AAV).
Benton should be cheaper, but not by too much. Spotrac estimates his market value at $25.9 million, which feels a little too rich. That would put him at a higher AAV than players like Quinnen Williams ($24 million) and DeForest Buckner ($23 million), which I think would be a hard case to argue for Benton’s representatives. That said, Green Bay’s Devonte Wyatt is a similar player who just signed for a $19 million AAV.
At the time we’re submitting this article, neither Benton nor Porter Jr. have indicated whether they plan to hold-in during training or not. That will be a personal choice each has to make, and if the Steelers support of Nick Herbig while he briefly held-in during OTAs is any indication, the Steelers won’t be too upset as long as the players keep an open line of communication and take care of their own physical and mental preparations like professionals.
End of roster battles at DL, CB, and S
RB: The bottom-of-the-depth-chart battles at these positions might not be the most interesting at first glance, but storylines like these are the bread and butter of a compelling training camp and preseason. Plus, some of these competitions, especially considering how many players defenses tend to rotate through during the regular season, could be more impactful than you’d think.
Starting at defensive line, where the Steelers kept eight on the initial 53-man roster in 2025, it’s fair to say Cam Heyward, Derrick Harmon, Keeanu Benton, Sebastian Joseph-Day, and Yahya Black are locks.
That leaves a remaining three or so spots for names such as Esezi Otomewo, Logan Lee, Dean Lowry, and rookies Gabriel Rubio and Kevin Jobity Jr. to fight for. Otomewo is probably my favorite of the group with great athleticism and length, and he had some good moments in 2025. But there’s a nice mix of youth, experience, and upside in the group as a whole.
At cornerback, the room seems far more set ahead of training camp. Joey Porter Jr., Jamel Dean, Jalen Ramsey, Brandin Echols, Asante Samuel Jr. and rookie Daylen Everette are all near-locks for the 53 — that’s six spots already, and the team only kept five cornerbacks on its initial roster last year.
Still, it’ll be interesting how the depth in that room shakes out. Can Echols grab meaningful snaps behind the top three? Can Asante Samuel Jr. return to form in his first full season post-injury? And how much of an impact can Everette make as a rookie? He’s flown under the radar quite a bit as a third-round pick.
Beyond the top six, it’ll be interesting to see what 2025 seventh-rounder Donte Kent brings this summer after he missed all of last year — including the preseason — with injury. He also brings some return savvy to the table.
Safety might be the most intriguing group of the bunch. DeShon Elliott and Jaquan Brisker seem set as starters with Ramsey providing a versatile third option, but it’s anyone’s guess what the depth chart looks like behind them.
The frontrunners are likely Darnell Savage, a former first-round pick who started just one game in 2025 and isn’t seen as a roster lock, and Robert Spears-Jennings, a hyper-athletic seventh-rounder who has immense upside but looks like more of a project at the moment. There’s also Sebastian Castro, a 2025 undrafted free agent, who provided 72 special teams snaps for Pittsburgh last season. New UDFA Devan Boykin was a nickel/safety contributor to the Indiana Hoosier defense last season, but like Castro, lacks ideal athletic numbers.
With Ramsey providing starting-caliber play anywhere in the secondary, and the Steelers having a much deeper cornerback room overall, it’ll be interesting to see how many safeties the team decides to keep on the 53-man roster. I’d expect special teams value to be a valued commodity among roster hopefuls considering Ramsey will likely be the top No. 3 option at the position.
What storylines most intrigue you for the 2026 season? Let us know what you think in the comments. Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more. And check out more Steelers Read & React:
