Steelers announce new defensive quality control coach

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - DECEMBER 21: The Pittsburgh Steelers logo is pictured on a helmet during the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on December 21, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Steelers made a number of staff hires official Wednesday, including new offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio and new special teams coordinator Danny Crossman.

But one name was included on the list that hadn't previously been reported: defensive quality coach Pat Reilly.

Unlike the vast majority of the hires to Mike McCarthy's Steelers staff so far, Reilly doesn't have any glaringly obvious connections to Pittsburgh's current head coach. Reilly was most recently an offensive assistant on the 2025 Houston Texans; before that, his first full-time NFL job was as an assistant linebackers coach and defensive quality control coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024. He has experience coaching on both sides of the ball.

According to his LinkedIn, Reilly started his coaching career at his alma maters of SUNY Cortland and Syracuse. He worked his way up from being a video and equipment manager for the Red Dragons to being the wide receivers coach in 2013.

He switched to the defensive side of the ball in 2016, when he joined the UCLA coaching staff from Syracuse. Then, in 2018, he joined Nick Saban's Alabama staff as a defensive analyst. His resume lists a gap from February 2021 to February 2024, when he made the leap to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

By hiring Reilly, the Steelers now have six coaches each listed on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

Under Mike Tomlin in 2025, Pittsburgh had two quality control coaches on the defensive side of the ball: Jason Brooks and Luke Smith.