Steelers add a new special teams coach after Derius Swinton II firing

The Pittsburgh Steelers moved quickly to stabilize the coaching staff unit responsible for special teams after abruptly dismissing senior special teams coach Derius Swinton II in May. According to Yahoo Sports, the team has now quietly added a new special teams coach, filling the vacancy created by that departure.

The change comes against a backdrop of organizational scrutiny. Pittsburgh’s firing of Swinton II was linked, in reports from the same period, to workplace misconduct, a development that raised questions about internal culture as well as day-to-day coaching structure during the spring.

Early June, Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy addressed the team’s staffing plan with reporters, indicating that Pittsburgh was looking to add a new assistant in Swinton II’s place. That comment, as reported by Yahoo Sports, framed the hire as part of McCarthy’s effort to quickly restore continuity on a unit that touches every game through kicking, coverage, and return phases.

While the Steelers have not turned the move into a splashy announcement in the reporting described here, the timing reflects the operational reality of special teams coaching. Special teams is a weekly instruction and installation process that requires continuity from the offseason through training camp, particularly in the coordination of personnel packages for punt and kickoff coverage, return schemes, and long-snapping rhythm and execution.

For the Steelers, the replacement matters because it affects how players are coached in roles that can swing field position and momentum. Even when the rest of the roster is stable, special teams tends to evolve quickly with new starters, depth changes, and player usage, and a new coach can bring different emphasis on coverage angles, return reads, and situational decision-making.

The hire also positions McCarthy’s staff-building efforts. The reported link to “Mike McCarthy ties” suggests the replacement is part of a coaching-network decision associated with McCarthy’s broader background in personnel and staff alignment, but the available information here does not specify the coach’s identity or prior stops.

What to watch next is whether Pittsburgh provides a formal introduction of the new special teams coach and how the staff’s special teams priorities take shape as the offseason progresses into training camp preparation. The early portion of camp is often where coverage communication and return assignments become clear, and those patterns can reveal how quickly the replacement is shaping coaching plans.