The Pittsburgh Steelers are hiring former Washington Commanders defensive coordinator and longtime Mike McCarthy assistant Joe Whitt Jr. as their assistant head coach and secondary coach, the team announced.
Whitt was fired at the end of the year by the Commanders after two seasons as their defensive coordinator. He worked under Dan Quinn while doing that, but their struggles defensively were a significant reason for their fall off.
Meanwhile, Whitt joins his former passing game coordinator in Jason Simmons in Pittsburgh, which will help keep some continuity going on the staff.
Whitt first worked for McCarthy in 2009 as the cornerbacks coach. Over the time from 2009 to 2017, Whitt helped lead the Packers defensive backs to a league-leading 176 interceptions over that span.
In Dallas, he oversaw the development of Da’Ron Bland and Trevon Diggs into ballhawks that were big plays Bland’s record-breaking, All-Pro season in 2023 was under the tutelage of Whitt.
In other stops, Whitt went to the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons to coach defensive backs and be their passing game coordinator.
He will not hold either of those titles, instead helping McCarthy with game management during the heat of the moment in the game and bringing another respected voice into the secondary room. The Steelers lost secondary coach Gerald Alexander to the Minnesota Vikings.