Steelers' Retention Of Matt Canada In 2023 For The Sake Of Continuity Is A Dangerous Bet With Kenny Pickett's Future

The Pittsburgh Steelers are finding their way in the post-Ben Roethlisberger era. Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin used their final opportunity to work together in the NFL Draft to identify Kenny Pickett as the perfect replacement for the future Hall of Fame quarterback. Some NFL observers are still questioning the pick, but the fans overwhelmingly love the former Pitt Panthers quarterback and he won over a lot of skeptics with his performance down the stretch in 2022.

Omar Khan and Andy Weidl have replaced Colbert and paired with Tomlin are pursuing a philosophy that emphasizes the trenches. They have made definitive moves to shore up the offensive line this offseason. The Steelers have a multitude of young holdover weapons for Pickett with George Pickens, Diontae Johnson, Pat Freiermuth, and Najee Harris. Jaylen Warren and Connor Heyward are also important contributors with a lesser pedigree. Calvin Austin III is a mystery, but there are high hopes for the former Memphis Tigers speedster.

The talent needle is pointing up for the Steelers on offense, but there is one glaring problem and that is the man calling plays. Matt Canada is going into his third season as the Steelers offensive coordinator and is almost as popular as castor oil is amongst kindergartners. Pittsburgh and Tomlin have elected to let him coach the offense for a third season.

The seeming justification that has been given for retaining Canada is so that they don’t hurt Pickett’s development. Many observers have agreed with that assessment, and it is infuriating that the idea that Pickett would somehow regress under a new coordinator has gained traction. Trevor Lawrence, who was the first quarterback selected in 2021 had an awful rookie season with Urban Meyer and Darrell Bevell. The Jaguars didn’t concern themselves with retaining Bevell for continuity and Lawrence made a huge jump forward.

Canada performed poorly with Roethlisberger and did not do any better with Pickett. In fact, any development in Pickett’s game could be more closely attributed to his ignoring the offensive coordinator at the end of game-winning drives. Tomlin motivates players, but the Pittsburgh coordinators have not out-schemed anyone in a decade. They rely on players to make plays and too often win despite game plans, not because of them.

Mike Tomlin Tight-Lipped About Steelers Decision To Retain Matt Canada

This factor could explain Tomlin’s terse response to the subject over the weekend. The team is presenting the unified message of continuity, but when your offense has been disparaged on national television as “Saturdayish,” is that really a system that should be continued? The Steelers could have easily brought in a more successful coordinator, but is it possible that Tomlin has burned bridges with some of his previous staff decisions?

It is a possible explanation that he went to bat for Canada returning and Art Rooney II and Khan gave in under the premise that if it fails, a 1988-style purge of the coaching staff would be forthcoming. Tomlin is an extremely confident coach, but he does not have a coaching tree and no coordinator he hired has gone on to a head coaching job in the NFL.

The perception has been that coordinators like Bruce Arians and Dick Lebeau who were holdovers from Bill Cowher were too independent to work with Tomlin. He exudes so much confidence that this is difficult to believe, but the Steelers constantly promote from within when it comes to coordinators. Position coaches that don’t fit the mold are replaced in Pittsburgh. The question is what is mold?

Canada elicits defenses from his quarterbacks Roethlisberger and Pickett, but Mitch Trubisky said he wasn’t allowed to audible. Canada himself said they don’t have audibles, but checks in his offense. Roethlisberger often seemed to ignore the offensive coordinator during the seven come-from-behind victories he engineered to make the playoffs in 2021. Pickett seemed to operate best in a no-huddle structure where he had more freedom, so it is hard to ascertain what the truth is about Canada’s offensive input.

The inevitable truth is that if they waste Pickett’s second season under the guise of continuity, major changes have to be made. If the offense continues to struggle for a third consecutive year, then the organization should have to answer the question of why they are continuing to strive for mediocrity.

What do you think, Steeler Nation? Should the Steelers’ coaching staff be completely revamped if Canada’s offense does not evolve significantly? Please comment below, or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.