Steelers’ Defensive Coordinator Keith Butler is likely to retire. The rumors were just about substantiated in Mike Tomlin’s recent press conference.
Butler is in the last year of his contract, which is usually when Pittsburgh moves on from coordinators. He’s also in his late 60s, and more than likely Butler will retire from coaching.
Butler’s time in Pittsburgh has been linked to struggles on the defense, particularly in the playoffs. In Pittsburgh’s last four post-season exits they’ve given up 42, 48, 45, and 36 points.
Butler was promoted to the DC role in 2015 after Hall of Famer Dick LeBeau left town. Taking over for a Hall of Famer meant Butler was dealing with a lot of expectations. Not to mention those of taking the reigns of one of the most storied defenses in NFL history.
While Butler, a former NFL linebacker, always did a nice job with blitz and pressure packages, he left a lot to be desired in almost all other areas of the defense.
Next In Line?
Staying true to form, the rumor is Pittsburgh will stay in-house after Keith Butler’s likely retirement. Teryl Austin, Pittsburgh’s Senior Defensive Assistant and Defensive Backs coach, will likely take over the role.
Austin was a three-year starter at safety for the University of Pittsburgh and has been coaching in 1991. His last DC role was with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2018. Prior to that he was in the same role for the Detroit Lions for four seasons. In that time Detroit’s defense was top 10 in the league total yards per game allowed, rushing yards per game allowed, and games holding the offense to 20 or less points. In 2017 they were third in the NFL in takeaways.
Austin has been with the Steelers for three seasons, and has brought the ball-hawking mentality with him. In 2018 Pittsburgh had just eight team interceptions, they’ve had 20, 18 and 13 since then.
Conclusion
Fans will rejoice after hearing Keith Butler is likely to retire. However, there may be some reservations about another in-house elevation. Head Coach Mike Tomlin has been criticized for taking too much control over the defense in the past, diverting his attention from other duties.
But it is Tomlin’s defensive mind that made him the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl. Plus, a lot of head coaches are not only the minds behind their team’s offenses, but even call the plays. Fans shouldn’t be worried about Tomlin’s involvement.
But it will be interesting to see how Tomlin and Austin co-exist. Tomlin has not had a DC with their own DC experience since LeBeau in 2014. Now that Tomlin is one of the longest tenured coaches in the league, seeing how he works with another experienced coordinator will be interesting to watch.
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