PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Former Wagner College assistant football coach Patrick Graham has been named defensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers after spending the last four seasons as defensive coordinator with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Graham coached at Wagner College from 2002–03 as a graduate assistant, instructing tight ends and assisting with the offensive line in 2002 before working with defensive tackles and assisting on special teams in 2003. He also guided the Seahawks' junior varsity team to an undefeated season while serving as the program's strength and conditioning coach and academic coordinator.
During his NFL coaching career, Graham has held a variety of defensive roles with the New England Patriots (2009–15), New York Giants (2016–17, 2020–21), Green Bay Packers (2018), Miami Dolphins (2019), and the Raiders (2022–25). He has served as a defensive coordinator in each of the last seven seasons and also held the title of assistant head coach with the Giants from 2020–21.
Teams Graham has been a part of have qualified for the playoffs eight times, capturing seven division titles, two conference championships, and a victory in Super Bowl XLIX with New England. Over the last four seasons, the Raiders' defense ranked among the NFL's Top 15 in multiple categories under his guidance, highlighted by standout performances from linebacker Robert Spillane and defensive end Maxx Crosby, who earned four of his five Pro Bowl selections from 2022–25.
In 2024, Las Vegas finished in the Top 15 in total defense (333.1 yards per game), rushing defense (116.9), and passing defense (216.2). A total of 18 different players recorded at least a half sack, the most in single-season franchise history. Spillane posted a career-high 158 tackles, setting a Raiders single-season record and ranking third in the NFL, while Crosby earned his third consecutive Pro Bowl selection with 45 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, and five passes defensed in just 12 games. The Raiders also made significant strides in 2023, finishing ninth in the NFL in scoring defense (19.5 points per game), a 17-place improvement from the 2022 season.
"It's been very gratifying to watch Patrick's career progress," said Walt Hameline, Wagner head football coach. "Patrick did an outstanding job in his two years here, and his rise within the coaching ranks comes as no surprise."
After spending seven years as an assistant coach at four different colleges, Graham joined the Patriots in 2009 as a defensive coaching assistant. He was promoted to defensive assistant coach in 2010 before being elevated to linebackers coach.
A native of Waterbury, Conn., Graham was a defensive lineman at Yale University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in sociology in 2002. His first coaching assignment came on Grymes Hill, where he served as a graduate assistant at Wagner during the 2002 and 2003 seasons while pursuing an MBA with a concentration in finance.
