After a solid run with the Las Vegas Raiders, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham could be teaming up with Mike McCarthy in his new gig.
McCarthy, a Super Bowl-winning coach with the Green Bay Packers, is headed to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The organization is the definition of stability in a league where turnover dominates headlines. Replacing a Steelers legend in Mike Tomlin won’t be an easy task but one aspect that’ll help McCarthy resume the team’s continuity on defense will be to ensure it remains competitive.
This is where Graham enters the conversation.
With the Raiders, Graham helped to organize arguably the only respectable aspect of the team the last few years. Despite fielding a roster mostly devoid of depth and talent, Graham engineered competitive defenses year in and out. No one will mistake his units as “elite,” but when looking at the big picture, Graham’s accomplishments warrant a lot of merit.
Patrick Graham could be headed to a team with stability…
Now, imagine what he can do with one of the better front offices and scouting departments supporting him in Pittsburgh? While the Steelers do feature some aging stars on defense, Graham would theoretically have the chance to coach some excellent players, most notably T.J. Watt.
As far as connections go, Graham is linked to both McCarthy and the Steelers. Though he’s never coached for the latter, he interviewed with them back in 2022. The team went in another direction with Teryl Austin taking the reins, but if nothing else, it showed they were interested in Graham’s services. With McCarthy, Graham was part of the Packers coaching staff as its linebackers positional coach and its running game coordinator.
Graham has become a fan favorite among many in Raider Nation, so his departure could be bittersweet for some. Still, for a team that’s about to undergo a complete overhaul, Graham landing elsewhere will not be a shocker.
*Top Photo: John Locher/AP Photo