Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin addressed the media once again for his final weekly press conference of the season on Tuesday afternoon. He expressed his appreciation for the players and team coaches for an eventful season, but acknowledged that the Steelers ultimately fell short of their goal to reach the Super Bowl.
Tomlin said that he will use the rest of the day for team exit interviews, starting with the rookies and players on the final year of their contract.
From a health standpoint, no off-season surgeries are currently needed. And as for the quarterback position, the Steelers will begin to prepare for the 2022 season under the assumption that Ben Roethlisberger will not be returning. Tomlin noted that Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins will have to prove themselves entering next season, and doesn't currently characterize either to be "everyday starters."
Tomlin says "all options are on the table" for adding another quarterback to the room -- rookie vs. veterans
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) January 18, 2022
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Several questions from reporters arose about offensive coordinator, Matt Canada coming back next season as the offense took a significant step backwards compared to last season. Tomlin expressed that the front office is still intrigued with some of the components Canada brings to the offense, but isn't going to be "surprised" if changes happen.
Tomlin: "I'm optimistic about Matt (Canada) and what he's capable of doing. i acknowledge we took a step back. there are obvious tangible reasons why that occurred."
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) January 18, 2022
As for defensive coordinator, Keith Butler, he and Tomlin have had conversations this past year about this being Butler's last year with the team, but nothing is official as of today.
To close out the press conference, Tomlin was asked about the possibility of safety Terrell Edmunds returning to the team as he's set to become a free agent this off-season, as well as his thoughts about starting J.C. Hassenauer over Kendrick Green at center over the last few weeks. Tomlin expressed that he was appreciative of Edmunds' "availability" over the last four years and how that shouldn't go unnoted, and that he also felt that Hassenauer gave the team the best chance to win down the stretch of the season.
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Overall, the press conference felt bittersweet for Tomlin as he again acknowledged that you never want to start your exit interviews this early in the regular or postseason, but he's excited to start this off-season process of evaluating and finding new ways to keep this team competitive -- this time, for the first time, without having a Hall of Fame quarterback at his disposal.
Tomlin: "I understand change is a part of our business. I'm not overly resistant to it. ... I'm open to change where appropriate."
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) January 18, 2022
Watch the full press conference below:
Coach Tomlin on evaluating roster needs: pic.twitter.com/HxRqJUAVhy
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 18, 2022
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