New Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is inheriting arguably the best defense he’s had in his now eight seasons in the role. Though Pittsburgh’s group is aging, there’s still plenty of talent compared to his oft-barren rosters with the Miami Dolphins, the New York Giants, and the Las Vegas Raiders.
More talent comes with higher expectations. In Pittsburgh, a tradition of taking the football away at a league-topping clip must be continued. It might be the biggest hole in Graham’s resume.
Below is a table of how many takeaways Graham’s defenses registered and where that ranked league-wide.
Year/Team
Takeaways/Takeaway Rank
2019 Dolphins
16 (28th)
2020 Giants
22 (10th)
2021 Giants
22 (14th)
2022 Raiders
13 (32nd)
2023 Raiders
22 (19th)
2024 Raiders
13 (29th)
2025 Raiders
21 (23rd)
On average, that’s 18.4 takeaways per season, resulting in a 22nd-place ranking. He has clearly been below average in both categories.
In fairness, Graham has had to try to do more with less. In Las Vegas, especially, the defensive resources weren’t there, and the roster wasn’t very good. Still, his 22nd ranking in takeaways sits worse than his career-average rankings in points per game allowed (21st) and yards per game (19th), making it stand out as an eyesore all the more.
Pittsburgh’s defense has struggled, but it has consistently been the NFL’s best at taking the ball away. Using the same timeframe, here’s how the Steelers have ranked.
Year/Team
Takeaways/Takeaway Rank
2019 Steelers
38 (1st)
2020 Steelers
27 (2nd)
2021 Steelers
22 (14th)
2022 Steelers
23 (14th)
2023 Steelers
27 (8th)
2024 Steelers
33 (1st)
2025 Steelers
27 (4th)
An average of 28.1 takeaways per season and a 6th-place finish. A notable difference compared to Graham. Put another way, the Steelers’ fewest amount of takeaways over that span is the same number as the most Graham’s ever had.
The talent difference helped. No question. But it’s a mighty big gulf Graham must travel.
Immediate counterpoints will claim takeaway dependency. Some argue that Pittsburgh was too reliant on forcing turnovers, not playing good defense, to win games. Even if that’s true, and I’d argue the point, the desire and need to become a stouter “conventional” defense in points and yards doesn’t reduce the desire or need to take the ball away at high levels. Good defenses achieve one. Great defenses achieve both. There’s no reason to lower the standard of one just to raise the standard of another.
Needless to say, the more turnovers you create, the less likely you are to allow points and yards. It goes hand in hand.
The Seattle Seahawks’ defense was incredible this season because they did both. Seattle ranked first in points, sixth in yards, and sixth in takeaways. In their three postseason victories, the Seahawks forced a combined seven turnovers. Three came in the Super Bowl, capped off by Uchenna Nwosu’s pick-six to seal the win. Takeaways are the goal for any notable defense.
Graham hasn’t proven he can do that. There’s plenty to like about the coach and other things he’s done and managed, but this is among his biggest tests. Can he make Pittsburgh’s defense more fundamentally sound while preserving its culture and history of takeaways? If not, it’ll be hard for him to find success coordinating his fourth NFL team.