Gerald Alexander isn’t new to the Steelers, but his mentality just might be — which is why they brought him back. At least we can assume as much, as they appeared to like his predecessor, Grady Brown. Alexander coached under Brown for two seasons before what he joked was an “internship” with the Raiders last year. Now he’s back, with a promotion as the Steelers’ defensive backs coach.
Ray Fittipaldo sees Alexander bringing a different approach to the secondary and to the Steelers’ defense as a whole.
“They’re always okay with giving up the yardage and making teams travel the length of the field on them. I think that’s gonna change a little bit,” he said on 93.7 The Fan.
“I think [Gerald] Alexander wants to be a little bit more aggressive. He certainly does with Joey [Porter Jr.],” Fittipaldo continued. “He was talking about Joey [Porter] getting his eyes toward the ball, being more offensive minded instead of being so grabby with his hands. I’m excited to see what Alexander can bring to that secondary.”
It’s unclear why the Steelers may have felt they couldn’t be as aggressive in 2024, but they have since made changes. Personnel-wise, signing CB Darius Slay was the most significant move. Having another year of DeShon Elliott and Beanie Bishop Jr., the latter a rookie last year, should help, too. But they wouldn’t have hired Gerald Alexander and let Grady Brown walk if it were all about personnel.
Alexander was one of two bigger changes the Steelers made to the coaching staff. They also swapped out ILB coach Aaron Curry for Scott McCurley. Exactly what these position switches say about how the team felt about their performances last year, the reader may determine.
It didn’t help that Grady Brown was the defensive backs coach for a defense that ranked 25th against the pass. Although they ranked 9th in touchdowns allowed and 3rd in interceptions, they did give up volume. Perhaps they believe Alexander will offer less bend with just as little break.
The Steelers, to that end, are betting on getting one more season out of Darius Slay in which he can hold it down in tight man coverage. While past his prime, he may still have enough left in the tank with Joey Porter opposite him. With Minkah Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliott at safety, Gerald Alexander does have some talent, on paper.
One target area of improvement for Alexander is increasing the opportunism of his players. He helped coach Fitzpatrick during his All-Pro season of 2022 when he recorded six interceptions. Porter only has two interceptions in his career, which Slay has vowed to work on.
Mike DeFabo of The Athletic noted that whatever changes the Steelers are making on defense, they have tasked Gerald Alexander as being the hands-on one during install this spring. One might presume that says something about his role in initiating these changes. Alexander is stressing communication, as well, but that’s an annual theme for every team. In 2025, they have to do more than just pay lip service to that and practice what they preach.
