The Steelers retaining Teryl Austin as their defensive coordinator is a logical choice, given the current circumstances.
Per reports, the Steelers and Austin are finalizing a two-year deal for him to return as defensive coordinator after his contract expired at the end of the season. This move comes amid an offensive coordinator search and with an expected search for a quarterbacks coach soon to begin, among other expected moves to the coaching staff.
There are many boxes for Omar Khan and the Steelers' front office to check off this offseason, and they quickly made a decision to retain Austin just over a week after the Steelers bowed out of the postseason.
Sure, his defense had its warts. It gave up the 21st-most yards in the league and struggled late in the season to defend the middle of the field. It had a stretch where James Conner, Ezekiel Elliott, and a couple of no-name backs from the Colts looked like All-Pros against it. Despite having the prospective Defensive Player of the Year in T.J. Watt, it allowed 30 or more points four times in the regular season and, without Watt, allowed the Bills to post 31 points in their playoff loss.
There was some bad, as there is with every defense in today's NFL that prioritizes offense. But there was also plenty good to note about Austin's defense despite the many trials it faced throughout the season.
Those positives out-weighed the negatives. That's why he deserved to come back, and it makes all of the sense to give him a two-year deal.
Austin had to continuously adjust his strategies based on his available personnel this season. This happens to every team, but Austin lost three starting inside linebackers, three starting safeties, and his captain throughout the regular season and then had to go without Watt for the Steelers' playoff game. He lost Cole Holcomb, Kwon Alexander, and Keanu Neal for the season and Elandon Roberts missed time with groin and pectoral injuries.
Despite these factors, the Steelers allowed the sixth-fewest points, third-fewest rushing touchdowns and eighth-fewest first downs while finishing third in takeaways, 11th in sacks, and 11th in interceptions. Navigating through these losses comes down to coaching and scheme. While there were some issues exposed, Austin was able to adjust.
That doesn't make his defense perfect, but the draft and free agency can help alleviate that. This defense is one of the highest-paid units in the league, but what good are the parts of it if they're not on the field? Austin had to turn to Myles Jack, Blake Martinez, and Eric Rowe out of retirement, and Mykal Walker came through as a practice-squad afterthought to provide major snaps at inside linebacker.
That kind of adjustment is tough for any defense to have to succeed through.
Austin's specialty is the secondary, and the development of Joey Porter Jr. under his tutelage was an ongoing thread that picked up steam over the offseason.
Rookies Keeanu Benton and Nick Herbig also blossomed when they were give opportunities, and adding pieces in the draft and free agency -- and getting cornerback Cory Trice Jr. back from a torn ACL -- will allow for a young core to develop under Austin's guidance and with Cam Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alex Highsmith, and Watt guiding the ship.
Consistency is everything for this defense, and it couldn't foster that with the injury-plagued inside linebackers and safeties room this season. Those marks of consistency, though, have to reign on and off the field.
The Steelers' front office has to go through the process of finding an offensive coordinator, and going through a defensive coordinator search in the midst of that would have only convoluted things when they didn't need to be. Having stability on one side of the ball while the other side adjusts to a new system and some new staff should benefit this team in 2024 and 2025, provided the new offensive coordinator can bring in a scheme and system that helps supplement the efforts provided by the defense. Retaining Austin for two years allows for that to have a legitimate chance.
In short: You don't want to replace two coordinators at the same time when your top priority is winning football games.
It's not that Austin had to be replaced, anyway. The defense wasn't one of the worst of the league. It wasn't one of the best, either, but it still had many spots where it was better than average despite the pile-up of injuries.
