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In their ongoing quest to find a suitable replacement for retired Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler, the team is expected to interview Dallas Cowboys secondary coach and defensive pass game coordinator Joe Whitt, Jr.
Per a report from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is nearing the end of the interview process. However, the position is still expected to be handled internally with the promotion of secondary coach Teryl Austin.
Tomlin has also interviewed New York Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and New Orleans Saints secondary coach Kris Richard.
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Whitt’s Journey Around the League
Whitt has been around the league since joining the pro ranks in 2007 with the Atlanta Falcons. Before the Cowboys, Whitt was with the Green Bay Packers (2008-2018), Cleveland Browns (2019) and again with the Falcons (2020), each in secondary/defensive pass game coordinator capacity.
In Dallas, Whitt was reunited with former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy and former Falcons head coach Dan Quinn. Quinn, the Cowboys defensive coordinator, and Whitt helped transform Dallas’ putrid secondary into the league leader in takeaways (26).
According to Cowboys Wire, Whitt could wind up as a candidate to assume the defensive coordinator role for the Cowboys. Quinn has been named a finalist for the Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Whitt’s not likely to be offered the Steelers gig anyway, as the team historically hires from within.
Mike Tomlin Wants Control
As Dulac wrote, whether it’s Austin’s (expected) promotion or an external hire, it’s likely contingent on one significant factor: Mike Tomlin calls the in-game defensive signals, not the defensive coordinator.
Tomlin’s need for defensive control is primarily why the Steelers can’t attract big-name talent like free agent defensive guys Brian Flores (Dolphins), Mike Zimmer (Vikings) or Vic Fangio (Broncos). These men were all head coaches and likely have no interest in being Tomlin’s lackeys.
As Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Paul Zeise noted in a January 26 mailbag, other factors to not hiring external candidates have to do with Tomlin’s comfort level and finances.
“I think part of it is [Tomlin] wants to give his guys an opportunity to advance in their careers,” Zeise wrote. “He obviously has a certain comfort level with his own coaches. They know what he wants and what he expects. They understand what the Steelers organization wants and how it operates.”
“There is also an element of finances as well as the Steelers don’t traditionally pay their assistant coaches as well as other organizations, so promoting from within enables him to hire coaches who won’t command big salaries,” he continued. “I think on the defensive side of the ball, he clearly wants to keep control of play-calling, and it is a difficult sell to an assistant who has other options and wants to call plays.”
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