The Pittsburgh Steelers technical committee redesign will not include Keith Butler. Pittsburgh’s defensive coordinator since 2015, Butler received a one-year contract, according to Gerry Dulac from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Last week, the Steelers chose not to renew the contracts of offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner, offensive line manager Shaun Sarrett and defense coach Tom Bradley. Steelers must promote Matt Canada to offensive coordinator. After 25 years in college, Canada served as a coach for Steelers defenders for the 2020 season.
The changes in the coaching staff are the result of the disappointing end of the 2020 Pittsburgh season. After an 11-0 start, the Steelers won just one of their six final games. They were left behind 28-0 before finally losing their wild card playoff game against the Browns 48-37. Injuries, missed passes and a quick attack in 32nd place were the main reasons why the Steelers failed after the 11-0 start. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said he will seek answers this off-season, after seeing his team stumble in December for the fourth consecutive year.
The Pittsburgh defense lost initial linebacker Devin Bush to a torn ACL in week 6. They lost internal linebacker Bud Dupree due to the same injury in week 11. They were forced to play without starting cornerback Joe Haden after he tested positive for COVID-19 before his wild card loss to Cleveland. These defeats contributed to the Steelers’ lack of forced twists during the final six games. After forcing 23 turns during the 11-0 start, the Pittsburgh defense forced only four turns during its 1-5 stretch. They failed to force a turn in consecutive defeats to Cleveland, which defeated the Steelers in the playoffs for the first time in the rivalry’s long history.
Despite some personnel losses, Butler’s unit ended the 2020 season as the NFL’s highest-rated unit in interceptions and bags. Pittsburgh’s defense also finished third in the league in points, total yards and allowed passing yards, fifth in third down efficiency and sixth in red zone efficiency. The unit was anchored by external linebackers TJ Watt (15 sacks) and Dupree (eight sacks), strikers Stephon Tuitt (11 sacks) and Cam Heyward, cornerbacks Haden (two interceptions, 12 defended passes) and Mike Hilton (three interceptions, two fumble recoveries, three bags), and free security Minkah Fitzpatrick (four interceptions, 11 defended passes).
The 2021 season will be Butler’s 19th season with the Steelers’ organization. An internal linebacker with the 1978-87 Seahawks, Butler’s coaching career began as a coach for the Memphis linebackers in 1990. As a defensive coordinator for the State of Arkansas in 1998, he met a young defender coach named Mike Tomlin, who would promote Butler from linebacker to defensive coordinator in Pittsburgh 17 years later.
Butler served as the 1999-02 Browns linebacker coach before taking on that role with the Steelers in 2003. Butler won two Super Bowls in that role while working with several former professional players on Joey Porter, James Farrior, LaMarr Woodley, Lawrence Timmons , and James Harrison, Defensive Player of the Year 2008.