Steelers Hire Joe Whitt
Joe Whitt‘s time in the nation’s capital came to an end one month ago. The veteran staffer has now found his next coaching opportunity. 
The Steelers have added Whitt to their staff, as first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The move has since been confirmed by a team announcement. Whitt spent the past two seasons as the Commanders’ defensive coordinator, but after being stripped of play-calling duties midway through the 2025 campaign his dismissal came as no surprise. In Pittsburgh, he will hold the title of assistant head coach while also working with the team’s secondary.
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Whitt’s showing in Washington left plenty to be desired, but he has a deep level of familiarity with new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy. The two worked together in Green Bay from 2008-18. Whitt also joined McCarthy’s Cowboys staff and spent three seasons as Dallas’ defensive pass-game coordinator (a role he had experience with during his Packers stint as well).
An NFL coach dating back to 2007, Whitt has served in a number of capacities over the years. The 47-year-old’s first defensive coordinator gig came about when he followed Dan Quinn from Dallas to Washington. The fact things did not go according to plan with the Commanders will likely limit his future DC opportunities. Still, Whitt will look to rebuild his stock by working with a Steelers group which ranked 29th against the pass in 2025.
In other Steelers staffing news, longtime NFL defensive tackle Domata Peko has been hired. He will be Pittsburgh’s defensive line coach in 2026. Peko began his coaching career on McCarthy’s Cowboys staff in 2024. Last season, he coached Colorado’s defensive line but a reunion with McCarthy will bring about a return to the pro ranks for the coming campaign.
The Steelers have also announced the hiring of Patrick Reilly. He will serve as the team’s defensive quality control coach. Reilly worked as an offensive assistant with the Texans in 2025, but he was recently let go. Prior to his one-and-done Houston stint, Reilly worked on the defensive side of the ball during a four-year run in Jacksonville. This Pittsburgh hire will see him return to a familiar role.
AFC Staff Notes: Texans, Titans, Ravens
Here’s a look at the latest coaching staff updates from the AFC:
- The Texans recently moved on from tight ends coach Jake Moreland, assistant linebackers coach Ben Bolling, and offensive assistants Patrick Reilly and Mike Snyder, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 (links: 1, 2). They subsequently brought in James Ferentz as their tight ends coach and Alex Ward (not to be confused with the Raiders’ long snapper) as an offensive assistant. An NFL offensive lineman from 2014-23, Ferentz spent his first two years with the Texans. He immediately became the Giants’ assistant offensive line coach after his playing career ended. After two seasons in New York, he’s moving back to Houston to work with tight ends. Dalton Schultz, the Texans’ top TE, finished with a career-high 82 catches in 2025.
- The Titans have hired Cade Knox as their offensive assistant/game management, Paul Kuharsky reports. The Harvard alumnus held a similar position from 2022-25 with the Giants under head coach Brian Daboll, who’s now the Titans’ offensive coordinator. Knox will replace Rob Riederer in Tennesee and assist with timeouts and challenges.
- Nebraska hired Miles Taylor as its safety coach last month, but he’s already leaving for a promotion. The Ravens are hiring Taylor, per Sean Callahan of On3. He’ll serve as their assistant defensive backs coach, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic adds. Taylor spent 2025 as a coaching fellow with the Chargers. New Ravens head coach Jesse Minter was the Chargers’ defensive coordinator then. A few weeks after the Chargers’ season ended, Taylor and Minter are reuniting in Baltimore.
- The Chiefs recently requested an interview with Raiders running backs coach Deland McCullough, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. McCullough, who’s coming off his first year with the Raiders, previously coached Chiefs running backs from 2018-20 under offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. While Bieniemy left the organization in 2023, he became Kansas City’s OC again last month. That could open the door for McCullough’s return.
- The Jaguars interviewed Bills assistant offensive line coach Austin Gund for their run game coordinator opening, per Jordan Schultz. The Jags went on to hire Brian Piccuci instead, leaving Gund’s future up in the air. Gund has assisted along the Bills’ offensive line since 2023, but O-line coach Aaron Kromer retired after the season. The Bills replaced Kromer with Pat Meyer, and it’s now unclear if Gund will return in 2026.
Texans Announce Finalized 2025 Coaching Staff
The Texans switched things up this offseason when they fired offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik following a sophomore slump calling the offense for C.J. Stroud and company in Houston. Despite changing coordinators, most of the staff remains the same heading into 2025, according to the team’s finalized coaching staff announcement. 
We already reported on Slowik’s replacement, Nick Caley, taking over as offensive coordinator, as well as the promotion of assistant offensive line coach Cole Popovich to replace Chris Strausser as offensive line coach with the added title of run game coordinator. We also reported already on the hiring of Jerry Schuplinski, who followed Caley from the Rams, though now we know his title to be senior offensive assistant/pass game specialist.
The new updates from the announcement tell us that Patrick Reilly has come over from the division-rival Jaguars, where he served as a defensive quality control and assistant linebackers coach, to be an offensive assistant for the team. Asauni Rufus has been hired into the same role after some time as an offensive quality control coach for the 49ers.
On defense, we already reported on Frank Okam joining the team as assistant defensive line coach, replacing Nate Ollie, who left to become the defensive line coach of the Falcons. The only other updates on the defensive staff saw Ben Bolling get promoted from defensive assistant to assistant linebackers coach and Sean Baker add “special teams” to his title of special teams/defensive assistant. Lastly, Cole Weeks, who recently worked at Troy University as an offensive assistant coach, was hired as a defensive assistant in Houston, as well.
With this staff, many of which are holdovers from 2024, DeMeco Ryans will hope to lead his team to another playoff berth. With another year of development for Stroud under a new play caller, they will hope to advance further in the postseason and establish themselves among the other AFC powers.
Jaguars Fire DC Mike Caldwell, Others
JANUARY 9: Changes on the offensive side of the ball have been made as well. Running backs coach Bernie Parmalee and offensive line assistant Todd Washington are out, per a statement from Pederson. The former was fired while the latter did not have his contract renewed, as noted by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
JANUARY 8: Following their late-season collapse, the Jaguars will make a major move. They are firing Mike Caldwell after his second season as defensive coordinator, Fox Sports’ Greg Auman reports.
Although the Jaguars struggled on both sides of the ball to close out this disappointing season, Caldwell will be the first domino to fall. The Jags hired the former NFL linebacker after he helped the Buccaneers win a Super Bowl as linebackers coach, but it is certainly unsurprising to see Jacksonville move forward with a big change.
As should be expected, the changes will not stop at Caldwell. Jacksonville is firing its defensive staff, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. While DVOA placed the Jaguars’ defense 10th overall, the group slipped down the stretch. Jacksonville allowed at least 28 points in four of its final six games — all losses. After an 8-3 start, the team closed what had looked like a promising season at 9-8.
Among the members of Caldwell’s defensive staff: D-line coach Brentson Buckner, pass-game coordinator Deshea Townsend, inside linebackers coach Tony Gilbert, safeties coach Cody Grimm and senior defensive assistant Bob Sutton. The Jags ranked 26th in pass defense. While the team did not make strides on offense after Doug Pederson handed play-calling reins to OC Press Taylor this season, no changes have emerged on that side of the ball yet. ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco adds that three defensive assistants — assistant D-line coach Rory Segrest, outside linebackers coach Bill Shuey and quality control staffer Patrick Reilly — will be retained.
The Jags splurged on both sides of the ball in 2022, allocating big bucks on free agents in Pederson’s first offseason as HC. They also added Travon Walker with the No. 1 overall pick while following that up with first-round linebacker Devin Lloyd. The Jags signed Foye Oluokun, Foley Fatukasi and Darious Williams in 2022. They extended Roy Robertson-Harris in 2023, largely returning the same cast from a defense that ranked 12th (scoring) and 24th (yardage) last season. Despite Josh Allen‘s contract-year sack surge, the Jags did not improve on that side of the ball as a whole.
DVOA, however, ranked Caldwell’s 2022 defense — additions notwithstanding — 26th. Yet, the Jaguars largely stood pat and ran it back following their AFC South title. The questionable decision burned the team, with Pederson pointing out missed assignments and missed tackles. Derrick Henry submitted a throwback performance Sunday, in what appears to be his Titans finale, by rampaging for 153 yards in a win-and-in game for the Jags. Jacksonville allowed 28 points to a Tennessee team that was previously 0-5 in AFC South play.
This firing means the Jaguars, by the 2024 season, will employ four defensive coordinators in five years. Todd Wash departed after the Doug Marrone firing, while Urban Meyer‘s DC (Joe Cullen) left after the unfit HC’s one-and-done. Caldwell, 52, played 11 NFL seasons and has been an NFL assistant for the past 16 years.