Steelers expected to add senior special teams assistant

The Steelers are expected to hire Derius Swinton II as a senior special teams assistant, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported Thursday.

Swinton was the Las Vegas Raiders’ interim special teams coordinator in 2025, where he worked with now-Steelers defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. Before then, Swinton was a special teams assistant for Las Vegas from 2023 until he replaced fired Raiders coordinator Tom McMahon midseason in 2025.

Swinton joined the NFL in 2009 as a special teams quality control coach for the then-St. Louis Rams. Since then, he’s made a number of NFL stops, with stints in Kansas City, Denver, Chicago, San Francisco, Detroit, Arizona, and Los Angeles (Chargers).

Swinton has been an assistant coach on offense, defense, and special teams over his time in the NFL. He’s been a coordinator once: leading the Chargers’ special teams unit under Brandon Staley in Los Angles in 2021, but he was fired after one season.

However, Swinton has seen success with the Raiders’ special teams units, working alongside solid pros such as kicker Daniel Carlson and punter A.J. Cole.

In Pittsburgh, Swinton will reunite with Graham on the coaching staff and work under Pittsburgh’s new special teams coordinator Danny Crossman.