Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers hire Teryl Austin as defensive assistant coach

Published Jan. 11, 2019 5:25 p.m. ET

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers have hired Teryl Austin as a senior defensive assistant coach.

The team announced the move Friday, adding that Austin's focus will be the secondary. Austin has coached in the NFL for the better part of two decades, including stops in Detroit and Cincinnati as defensive coordinator. Austin previously worked as a secondary coach for Seattle, Arizona and Baltimore.

Pittsburgh finished a respectable 10th against the pass in 2018 but struggled to generate takeaways and couldn't find any consistency at the spot opposite veteran Joe Haden. The Steelers finished with just eight interceptions, the fewest in the AFC.

The 53-year-old Austin grew up in western Pennsylvania and played four seasons at defensive back for the University of Pittsburgh during the 1980s.

The hiring is the latest in a series of staff adjustments made by Pittsburgh after finishing 9-6-1 and missing the playoffs. The team fired running backs coach James Saxon and outside linebackers coach Joey Porter last week.