Rebounding from a tough Commanders exit, Joe Whitt Jr. joins the Steelers as assistant head coach, aiming to revitalize the secondary with McCarthy.
Joe Whitt Jr. has landed on his feet with the Pittsburgh Steelers after a rough season with the Washington Commanders.
Whitt is the Steelers’ new assistant head coach/secondary coach. He will play a pivotal role as new head coach Mike McCarthy’s top assistant.
That represents a nice bounce-back for Whitt, who was fired as the Commanders' defensive coordinator after two seasons. The Commanders were last in the NFL in total defense this season and 28th in pass defense. However, Washington went to the NFC Championship Game a year earlier, sparked by 12-time Pro Bowl linebacker Bobby Wagner.
Whitt, 47, was the secondary/pass game coordinator from 2021-23 for the Dallas Cowboys while McCarthy was the head coach. The Cowboys topped the NFL with 59 interceptions during that three-year span. Trevon Diggs led the league and tied a franchise record with 11 picks in 2022. The following year, DaRon Bland had a league-record five interceptions returned for touchdowns.
Whitt has his work cut out for him, as Pittsburgh ranked 29th in pass defense in the 2025 season.
Whitt served as an assistant coach for 11 seasons under McCarthy with the Packers from 2008-18. He was an assistant coach for two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons (2007, 2020) and one with the Cleveland Browns (2019).
Collegiately, Whitt was an assistant at Auburn (2000-01), The Citadel (2002), and Louisville (2003-06).
Whitt is one of 10 new assistant coaches hired since McCarthy replaced Mike Tomlin on Jan. 27. Whitt joins offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Brian Angelichio, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, special teams coordinator Danny Crossman, offensive line coach James Campen, assistant offensive line coach Jahri Evans, running backs coach Ramon Chinyoung Sr., receivers coach Adam Henry, defensive line coach Domata Peko and defensive quality control coach Pat Reilly.
The Steelers have retained quarterback Tom Arth and inside linebackers coach Scott McCurley from Tomlin’s staff.
Tomlin resigned one day after Pittsburgh’s season ended with a loss to the Houston Texans in an AFC Wild Card playoff game. He finished with a regular-season record of 193-114-2, tying Hall of Famer Chuck Noll for the franchise wins record. The Steelers went 10-7 this season and won their first AFC North title since 2020.
McCarthy was a head coach with the Packers for 13 seasons from 2006-18 and with the Cowboys for five seasons from 2020-24. His record is 174-112-2 during the regular season.
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