The Steelers’ decision to hand the defense to Patrick Graham drew some side-eye at first, and it’s easy to see why. On the surface, the numbers from his 2025 Raiders unit don’t jump off the page: Las Vegas finished 25th in points allowed at 25.4 per game and 14th in yards allowed at 317.8.
But Pittsburgh insider Mike DeFabo pushed back on the quick judgment in a recent breakdown for The Athletic, arguing that the raw stats only tell part of the story.
“When the Steelers hired Graham, it would have been easy to look at some of the basic stats from 2025 (25th in points per game allowed, 25.4, and 14th in yards per game, 317.8) and be a bit underwhelmed. As these clips show, however, Graham’s reputation as a defensive mind far exceeds those raw numbers.
Context is critical. Last year, Graham was sometimes hamstrung by Carroll’s philosophy.
The Raiders also spent about $55 million less on defense last year than the Steelers.”
That’s the key point here: the job isn’t just about the coordinator, it’s about the environment he’s walking into. Graham was operating with a Raiders roster that didn’t come close to matching Pittsburgh’s investment or talent level, and that matters when you’re trying to judge what he actually did with the defense.
Graham himself made it clear he doesn’t see his system as rigid. “There is no Pat Graham playbook,” the new Steelers' DC said. “The playbook evolves once I get around the guys.”
Now he’s taking over a defense that DeFabo described as one of the league’s most expensive and talented units, which changes the expectations immediately. The opportunity is obvious. So is the pressure.
“There’s reason to believe that with a more complete roster, Graham will be able to deploy similar tactics with even more success. Ultimately, it’s a double-edged sword.
Graham has the blessing of coordinating the NFL’s highest-paid defense but also the burden that comes with it. If the Steelers are going to reach their ceiling and enjoy success in Mike McCarthy’s first season, getting the defense to play up to its collective paycheck might be the biggest part of that equation.”
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