On Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers finalized their deal and hired a new defensive coordinator, Teryl Austin. Austin was most recently the secondary coach and senior defensive assistant to Mike Tomlin. NFL Network's Senior Insider Ian Rapoport reported the hire.

Austin replaces Keith Butler who was the defensive coordinator for the past seven seasons. Butler retired from coaching a couple of weeks ago. Despite making the playoffs, Pittsburgh's defense this season was not nearly as formidable as it usually is. That was particularly true in the trenches.

The Steelers allowed over 143 rushing yards per game, ranking dead last in the NFL. Pittsburgh for decades now has been built on defense and especially on its ability to control the line of scrimmage. But they got pushed around in 2021. Austin hopes he can turn that around.

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Austin got his start in the NFL back in 2003 with the Seattle Seahawks as the defensive backs coach. He spent four seasons there before moving to Arizona and Baltimore. He eventually got a shot as the DC with the Detroit Lions in 2014. He was unable to turn that ship around, so he took the defensive coordinator job in Cincinnati. He stayed there for only one season before moving to Pittsburgh.

The Steelers are in an interesting position heading into 2022. They don't know who their quarterback is going to be after Ben Roethlisberger announced his retirement. The defense was mostly a disappointment last season. Head coach Mike Tomlin has an uphill battle ahead of him in the tough AFC North. Austin will look to help Tomlin at least on one side of the ball.