5 first-time head coaches the Seahawks should consider in 2024

4. Teryl Austin, Pittsburgh Steelers Defensive Coordinator

The oldest guy in this group is Austin. He is 58 years old and has been a coach either in college or in the NFL for decades. In fact, he was with the Seattle Seahawks as the team's secondary coach from 2003 through 2006. During that time, Seattle went to their first Super Bowl. Sure, the Seahawks had a fantastic offense, but their defense, especially the secondary, was very good, too.

While Austin hasn't been a head coach, he has been a defensive coordinator twice in his career. First, he was the Lions DC from 2014 through 2017, and Austin has been the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator for the last two years. How much does it say that though Austin has been coaching in the NFL full-time since 2003, he has only coached on one team (2015 Lions) that had a record worse than .500?

In 2023, the Steelers are second in creating turnovers (19), sixth in quarterback rating allowed (78.4), and have allowed the eighth-fewest rushing touchdowns (6). Pittsburgh has not allowed more than 20 points in a game since Week 4. While Pittsburgh does have an excellent player in T.J. Watt, they do not have a ton of depth of talent meaning Austin is getting the best from his players.

The Steelers are fourth in red zone percentage in 2023 (40.0) so while they might bend a little bit, they do not break. The Seahawks likely have more overall individual talent than the Steelers defensively but with the help of the direction from Austin, the unit should be better overall.