The Pittsburgh Steelers are a franchise that’s usually defined by their defense. They expected that unit to be elite once again when this season started. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The Steelers’ defense has been terrible. While it’s had some nice moments, it’s struggled with consistency. That’s led to it currently being ranked 28th in the league. Former Steelers corner Steven Nelson pointed to Teryl Austin as the problem.

“The defensive scheme is ass,” Nelson said recently on TR5NT’s YouTube channel. “The DC need to get the fuck up out of there. Teryl Austin, he was the DB coach when I was there. I didn’t think he was that great then, but now he’s the DC. It’s an opportunistic defense.

“The scheme, they’ve been running the same shit every year. There’s been no adjustments. That’s why you see motherfuckers running through for 200 yards a game on the highest paid defense… They’ve been running that same scheme even before Teryl Austin got there. People eventually gonna catch on.”

Nelson was only with the Steelers in 2019 and 2020. Like he mentions, Austin was a senior defensive assistant and the secondary coach for the Steelers during that time. Therefore, the two of them worked together closely, and Nelson still came away unimpressed with Austin.

His points are valid, too. Patrick Queen also brought up the Steelers’ scheme as a reason for the team’s struggles. While not everything is Austin’s fault, much of the blame might fall on his shoulders.

Talent certainly isn’t the issue for the Steelers’ defense. It’s full of quality players, such as T.J. Watt, Jalen Ramsey, and Cam Heyward. While some of those players are older, that still doesn’t explain the severe decline that the Steelers have experienced defensively.

There have been moments where Austin’s scheme has looked outmatched, too. Earlier in the year, the Steelers got beaten for a touchdown on the same play multiple times. Even in their latest game, the Buffalo Bills ran for almost 250 yards, and much of their success came from the same play.

Nelson isn’t the first person to point out that the Steelers’ defensive scheme hasn’t changed much over the years, either. Former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman made a similar comment earlier this year, pointing out how the Steelers’ defense does the same things now that it did when he was playing.

The Steelers usually aren’t quick to make changes, and while that’s helped them create stability, it might finally be catching up to them. Nelson also views it as an issue, using Austin as an example.

“Pittsburgh’s loyal to their coaches. That’s the problem. That’s why they’ve got fucking Teryl Austin still there… Get the DC sorry ass up out of there.”

We’ll see if the Steelers decide to move on from Austin after this season. That might depend on how they finish out the year. They still have a chance to make the playoffs. If they fail to do that, however, they could decide to make some serious changes. It might be time for the Steelers to try something new and update their defense.