Stop. No, this isn’t an article that is going to take the easy button and say something along the lines of “Mike Tomlin is a defensive-minded coach. He should be considered for the Cowboys’ coordinator opening!” Full stop. There is likely zero chance, that Tomlin, who resigned in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, would be interested in taking a coordinator roll in 2026, and even if he did, hiring him likely wouldn’t end Dallas’ rotation of having to find a new coordinator every year.
It’s unlikely on so many levels, including the fact teams may have to trade for Tomlin, that the only reason it should be discussed is to outright dismiss it, like here. However, that doesn’t mean that the dissolution of 19-year marriage between Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers doesn’t throw intrigue into the Cowboys’ opening. It does, because the Steelers have an outstanding staff, and with Tomlin’s departure, those assistants will more than likely be looking for a new home. Chief amongst them is their current defensive coordinator Teryl Austin.
Austin, 60, is more than likely going to be need the Steelers to release him from his contract to sign somewhere else. That may not happen until whomever they hire as their next head coach has a chance to meet with him. That could easily be tied to the staffs of some of the leading HC candidates being tied up in the playoffs for the next few weeks.
At first glance, Cowboys fans will probably not be infatuated with the idea of hiring Austin. The Steelers’ defensive volume numbers aren’t very impressive. They ranked 26th this year in yardage allowed, and 17th in points. 2024 was much better, ranking 12th and 8th, respectively. Over the course of his lengthy career as a DC (Detroit, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh), his units have more often than not been in the last half of the league. But he had three consecutive seasons in Pittsburgh where he had them as a top-10 scoring defense (2022 through 2024).
His units have also excelled beyong those easy-to-read categories. According to Sumer Sports, “From 2022 to 2024, the team ranked tied for first in interceptions (53), second in takeaways (83), and fifth in scoring defense, allowing an average of 19.9 points per game. They also excelled in red-zone efficiency, ranking fifth with a 51.9% success rate.”
During this time period, Austin’s defenses have all been in the Top 12 all four seasons in Defensive DVOA, ranking 12th, 6th, 8th and 11th this season. DVOA looks at how well a team performs in a snap-by-snap basis based on game situation (score, down, distance, time remaining) while factoring in the strength of the opponent.
One of the most intriguing things about Austin is the landscape he’s had to coordinate in.
Much like Brian Flores had to do this season in Minnesota, Austin has been coordinating top defenses with pitiful offenses making life extremely difficult for him.
Over that three-year stretch of top-10 scoring defenses, their offense averaged 23rd in scoring. In addition, outside of a really weird bubble up in 2024 when they ranked second, the Steelers’ special teams units have been amongst the worst in the league in Austin’s time there.
So despite having an ineffective offense, and a special teams unit that didn’t help them at all with hidden yardage, Austin was still able to coordinate a top unit. As the Cowboys look over the constantly evolving coaching landscape in the 2026 NFL, they would be wise to keep an eye on the situation in Pittsburgh.
