The Pittsburgh Steelers may be entering a new era, but the talk around Mike Tomlin is still going strong. Even after nearly two decades of winning seasons, the team’s playoff drought became one of the biggest reasons behind his retirement. However, a former Steelers cornerback is now bringing the debate back by strongly criticizing Tomlin’s defensive approach.

“It’s crazy.” Darius Slay said on the latest episode of the Big Play Slay podcast on May 7, 2026, “Them guys make plays. Don’t get me wrong. This is what these [coaches] were telling me, ‘You play outside leverage, and if they catch a ball inside, it’s on the [defensive] line because they’re so good at batting the ball down.’ I’m not banking on that. That’s the only thing I did not like about the defense. Everything was outside leverage in the red zone. That sh*t was weird as fu*k. I never played that sh*t.”

Darius Slay didn’t hold back after Pittsburgh finished 26th in yards allowed, and Slay believes the main problem was the defensive scheme.

Slay, who previously played under former defensive coordinator Teryl Austin in Detroit, said the system in Pittsburgh was very different from what Austin normally taught. According to Slay, the heavy outside leverage approach created endless challenges, particularly in the red zone, putting the defensive backs in awkward positions without any responsibility being taken elsewhere.

“I ain’t gonna lie to you, that Pittsburgh stuff, that was rough for my dog [Jalen Ramsey] because that sh*t’s backwards over there,” Slay said. “That ain’t [Teryl Austin] sh*t. TA ain’t teach none of that sh*t in fu*ing Detroit. They were outside leverage on every fu*ing call. That’s why you see, whenever Ramsey got scored on, he’s chasing someone that’s running away from outside leverage.”

 

Slay’s frustration may also explain why his time in Pittsburgh ended so quickly. He played in only nine games before getting released early in December after struggling to adapt to the scheme. He ended up with 36 total tackles, three pass breakups, and one fumble recovery during his brief stint.

From Slay’s comments, it’s clear he never fully believed in Tomlin’s defensive philosophy. And notably, this isn’t the first time Mike Tomlin has faced criticism from former Steelers players over his coaching style and defensive approach.

This former Steelers player has criticized Mike Tomlin before

A fifth-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Stevenson Sylvester recorded 34 tackles and four forced fumbles during his time with the team from 2010 to 2013. He later joined the Buffalo Bills in 2014, but a torn patellar tendon ended his season and eventually his NFL career. Recently, Sylvester openly blamed Mike Tomlin for creating dysfunction within the Steelers organization.

“When I was with the Steelers, we were 12-4 my first two seasons,” Sylvester said via Aaron Becker of Steelers Now. “Then, in my third year, we took a dip. We let go of some veterans. It wasn’t as good as the years before. The difference was that Mike Tomlin would try to do everybody else’s job. He would try to do the defensive coordinator’s job, the linebacker coach’s job, and it wouldn’t leave time for those guys to do their job. That created dysfunction.”

This criticism has followed Tomlin for years. Many former players felt he was too involved in every part of the team. During the Keith Butler years, Tomlin even admitted he helped with defensive play calling, and because of that, the defense rarely made big changes. Over time, other teams figured it out and started taking advantage.

Former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman said on the Games With Names Podcast in January 2025 that the Pittsburgh Steelers defense under Mike Tomlin became predictable because it rarely changed.

Sylvester is also not the first former Steelers linebacker to criticize Tomlin. James Harrison has spent months criticizing his former head coach on the Deebo & Joe podcast with Joe Haden.

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