Mike Tomlin has spent the past several weeks interviewing NFL candidates to determine who'd be awarded the role of defensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers. After much consideration, the Steelers have made the expected decision to look inward -- closing in on a deal to make assistant defensive and secondary coach Teryl Austin the team's next DC, as confirmed by CBS Sports NFL insider Josina Anderson on NFL Pro Bowl Sunday. Austin succeeds Keith Butler, who is retiring.
Austin, 56, is certainly not lacking in coaching experience as he readies for the lead defensive seat in Pittsburgh.
A former player at the University of Pittsburgh, Austin began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for Penn State in 1991 and spent more than a decade helping to coach defenses at the collegiate level before entering the ranks of the NFL by way of a defensive backs coach for the Seattle Seahawks in 2003. His NFL journey also includes coaching stints with the Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals, ultimately landing with the Steelers in his current-turned-former role in 2019.
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The added benefit of keeping the hire in-house is Tomlin has no concern about chemistry with Austin, having now waved off other high profile candidates like up-and-comer Joe Whitt Jr., the secondary coach for the Dallas Cowboys who's been making his rounds on the interview circuit this offseason. It's now Austin's show in Pittsburgh, hoping use the prowess of T.J. Watt to help the team regain glory from their famous days as the feared "Steel Curtain".
