Joe Whitt Jr. joining Steelers as assistant head coach/secondary coach

Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy is bringing in a familiar face to help run the team’s defense.

Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Media, Joe Whitt Jr. is joining Pittsburgh as assistant head coach/secondary coach.

Whitt previously served under McCarthy with the Packers from 2008-2018. After initially joining the club as a defensive quality control coach, he was promoted to cornerbacks coach in 2009 and defensive passing game coordinator in 2018.

He then worked under McCarthy again with the Cowboys from 2021-2023 as defensive passing game coordinator and secondary coach before following Dan Quinn to the Commanders in 2024 to work as the team’s defensive coordinator. But Quinn took back defensive play-calling duties midway through the 2025 season before dismissing Whitt after the conclusion of the season.