Head coach Mike McCarthy has been busy adding new assistants to his first Pittsburgh Steelers coaching staff. In addition to offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio, the Steelers added two more assistants Wednesday.
Both come with defensive coordinator experience to bolster the defensive side of the ball.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Wednesday afternoon the Steelers are hiring Joe Whitt Jr. He will serve as an assistant head coach and secondary coach.
Whitt was previously the Washington Commanders defensive coordinator for two years. He coached under McCarthy with the Green Bay Packers from 2008-18.
Whitt, 47, spent 11 seasons on Mike McCarthy’s staff with the Packers. Now, they’re reunited in Pittsburgh.
Less than an hour prior to Pelissero’s report, Skyline Sports reported Montana State defensive coordinator Shawn Howe also landed a job on McCarthy’s staff.
MontanaSports.com’s Slim Kimmel reported Howe will serve as Steelers outside linebackers coach.
This will be Howe’s first NFL coaching job. He was Montana State’s defensive coordinator in 2025. He was also the program’s co-defensive coordinator in 2024 and defensive line coach from 2021-24.
Steelers Hiring Joe Whitt Jr. as Assistant Head Coach: Report
The Commanders fired Whitt from his defensive coordinator role after 2025. But he became an obvious coaching candidate for the Steelers when McCarthy landed the top job in Pittsburgh.
McCarthy has hired a lot of assistants he previously worked with in Green Bay and Dallas. Whitt served in a variety of roles with the Packers for more than a decade under McCarthy.
Whitt started in Green Bay as a defensive quality control coach in 2008. From 2009-17, he coached cornerbacks. Then in 2018, he served as the team’s pass game coordinator.
Whitt then was the Dallas pass game coordinator and secondary coach under McCarthy from 2021-23.
Beginning his coaching career in 2000, Whitt coached for seven seasons at the college level. He served as an assistant defensive backs coach in his first NFL job during 2007 with the Atlanta Falcons.
Whitt briefly returned to the Falcons staff as pass game coordinator/secondary coach in 2020. He held the same title with the Cleveland Browns in 2019.
With the Steelers, Whitt will be responsible for continuing the development of former second-round cornerback Joey Porter Jr. In the next year or so, the Steelers will likely add more young secondary talent to replace veterans such as Jalen Ramsey and DeShon Elliott.
Pittsburgh Also Adds Montana State Defensive Coordinator: Report
Howe is one of the more intriguing hires the Steelers have made this offseason. Howe is the lone coach McCarthy has added to his first staff who didn’t previously coach for him or have other NFL coaching experience.
The closest comparison is new Steelers defensive line coach Domata Peko. He has one year of NFL coaching experience. But that was under McCarthy in 2024.
Peko also played in the league for 15 years.
According to Kimmel, Howe will be responsible for keeping the Steelers edge rusher room elite, particularly T.J. Watt. While Watt still made an impact in 2025, the Pittsburgh defense would greatly benefit from Watt returning to his Defensive Player of the Year form.
With Howe as its defensive coordinator, Montana State won the FCS title last season.
“In 2025, Montana State ranked 15th in the FCS in scoring defense (19 points per game) and 20th in total defense (328.8 yards per game) on its way to winning the FCS national championship. The Bobcats tied for third in the country with 27 takeaways,” wrote Kimmel.
Steelers Officially Name Brian Angelichio Offensive Coordinator
Wednesday was a very busy day for the Steelers. Before adding the two defensive assistants, the Steelers landed Angelichio as offensive coordinator.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac reported the agreement as official on X.
Like Whitt, Angelichio coached under McCarthy with the Packers.
The Steelers still have open position roles such as tight ends coach. But the three coaches McCarthy hired Wednesday could go a long way to solidifying his first staff in Pittsburgh.
Steelers Adding 2 Defensive Assistants With Coordinator Experience: Reports