Saints Snap Up former Steelers Defensive Backs Coach
The New Orleans Saints are set to snap up former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive backs coach Grady Brown, according to a report by Matt Zenitz of 247 Sports.
Brown had been with the Steelers since 2021. The team replaced him as defensive backs coach with his former assistant, Gerald Alexander, earlier this offseason.
The Saints are assembling a new coaching staff under former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Moore hired former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley to be the team’s defensive coordinator. It’s not immediately clear what role Brown will have on the Saints staff. New Orleans has already hired Robert Blanton as defensive backs coach and Terry Joseph as defensive passing game coordinator.
Brown interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons for their defensive coordinator position and was seen as an up-and-coming coach in league circles before the Steelers chose not to renew his contract.
But the Steelers secondary obviously struggled with repeated instances of communication issues, busted coverages and missed assignments in 2024, and him not returning could be an acknowledgement of that.
Brown joined the Steelers in 2021 after a very short stint as defensive backs coach at the University of Houston. He spent 2020 as the defensive coordinator at McNeese State, but also did not coach a game for that team, as the Cowboys’ fall season was postponed to this spring.
Brown previously coached at Old Dominion, Louisville, Alabama State, Birmingham Southern, South Carolina, Southern Miss and Alabama A&M and was an NFL intern with the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs.
A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Brown was a defensive back at Alabama A&M from 1995-98 and went on to play in the Arena Football League.