Report: Defensive Coordinator Keith Butler will coach the OLBs in 2019

For those who are keeping tabs on the Pittsburgh Steelers coaching staff at home, you may have noticed there has been a glaring empty space on the staff where Joey Porter once resided as the Outside Linebackers coach. After the team decided to not bring Porter back for 2019, most expected the team would bring in an outsider to help coach the young outside linebackers.

Names like Kevin Greene were tossed around as possible additions to Mike Tomlin’s coaching staff, but a report from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac suggest the team won’t be adding to the coaching staff. Rather, Butler himself will be coaching the outside linebackers.

The Steelers are not going to hire a replacement for former outside linebackers coach Joey Porter and will instead have defensive coordinator Keith Butler assume the role in addition to his current duties, according to sources.

The duties of coaching linebackers is nothing new to Butler. After all, he coached the inside and outside linebackers as linebacker coach for years under then coordinator Dick LeBeau.

However, you have to wonder how this will work in 2019. This offseason the Steelers brought in Teryl Austin to help be an assistant on the defensive coaching staff, mainly working with the secondary, and now Butler will be working with the linebackers on top of overall coordinator duties. Could this be a situation where the Steelers almost have dual defensive coordinators?

It is a possibility, but it should also be noted having coordinators work multiple jobs isn’t abnormal for the Steelers. Offensive Coordinator Randy Fichtner is also the quarterback coach on top of his duties as play caller.

Stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes on the Steelers as they now prepare for the offseason consisting of free agency and the 2019 NFL Draft.