Feb. 4, 2026, 4:55 p.m. ET
It didn’t take long for former Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. to find a new home. Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, Whitt is joining the Pittsburgh Steelers as an assistant head coach/secondary coach.
The move reunites Whitt with new Pittsburgh head coach Mike McCarthy, who replaced Mike Tomlin after he surprisingly stepped away after 19 seasons in charge of the Steelers. Whitt, 47, spent the past two seasons as Washington’s defensive coordinator until he was fired on January 6. Head coach Dan Quinn stripped Whitt of defensive play-calling duties in November.
Whitt spent 11 seasons in Green Bay when Mike McCarthy was the head coach. Beginning as a defensive quality control coach in 2008, McCarthy promoted Whitt to cornerbacks coach, a role he held from 2009-17. In 2018, he added the title of defensive pass game coordinator. After one year with the Cleveland Browns, Whitt landed with the Atlanta Falcons in 2020, where he first worked for Quinn.
In 2021, Quinn was named defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys. Whitt followed Quinn to Dallas for three seasons before joining him in Washington in 2024.
Under Whitt’s leadership, the Commanders‘ defense struggled. In 2024, the unit struggled to stop the run but was often bailed out by quarterback Jayden Daniels and the top-5 offense. In 2025, injuries plagued the entire roster, including limiting Daniels to only four complete games. In turn, the offense took a step back, while the defense continued to struggle.
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Part of Washington’s issue on defense was a lack of talent over the last two seasons.
Whitt is the second former Commanders assistant to head to Pittsburgh. Last week, defensive passing game coordinator Jason Simmons, who also previously worked with McCarthy and Whitt in Green Bay, departed Washington for the same job with the Steelers.