PITTSBURGH -- Nick Herbig grinned slyly as he deflected the question. What wrinkles, exactly, were part of the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense under new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham? How would the linebackers be used?
"I can't give you all the sauce," the pass rusher said, chuckling before he continued. "It's definitely challenging for not just linebackers, it's the whole defense, really testing your football IQ, your football knowledge, knowing where everybody's at so we can play as a unit."
Aided by legendary defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, who bridged the organization's transition from head coaches Bill Cowher to Mike Tomlin, Tomlin put his stamp on the Steelers' defense for the better part of two decades. The Steelers finished top-5 in scoring defense four times in Tomlin's first five seasons in the NFL, but in the last 12 seasons of Tomlin's tenure, the Steelers finished in the top-5 just twice: 2019 and 2020. The Steelers also haven't finished in the top-5 in sacks since 2021.
With Tomlin's January resignation, the unit is in the middle of its next, necessary evolution under Graham. That means trusting Graham and his infusion of fresh ideas, while also finding ways to maintain the Steelers' defensive identity and tradition.
"You embrace the change," longtime defensive leader Cameron Heyward said. "There are things that you want to say the same, but you have to be willing to put your ego aside and do what's best for the group. It's not just young players, some coaches too, that still have to learn, and we just want to be an olive branch to that."