Steelers' Kenny Pickett Now On The Hot Seat As It's Time To Put Up Or Shut Up

The Pittsburgh Steelers just did the unfathomable: they fired a coach mid-season. Matt Canada, previously the offensive coordinator since the 2021 season, was fired Tuesday morning after a disastrous performance Sunday in Cleveland. The move comes unexpectedly, as the Steelers made franchise history with this being the first firing of an assistant coach during the season since 1941. 

Long-anticipated and headed for an eventual split, Canada's termination couldn't have come at a better time than now, as Kenny Pickett finally gets his chance at proving himself without the extra baggage. Even without the embattled coordinator overlooking his shadow, it's officially now or never for him to prove if he truly is the franchise quarterback of the future. Seven games remain on the schedule, so what would it look like for Pickett to potentially redeem himself moving forward?

What Pickett And Steelers Must Do To Succeed

For starters, running backs coach, Eddie Faulkner will be the interim offensive coordinator in place of Canada, while quarterbacks coach, Mike Sullivan will be in charge of play-calling duties during games. Faulkner has been productive in coaching his position room, churning out efficient running backs in James Conner, Benny Snell, Kerrith White, Jaylen Samuels, Anthony McFarland, Najee Harris, and the up-and-coming Jaylen Warren. 

Sullivan, meanwhile, brings abundant experience to the position. His resume includes tenures with the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as offensive coordinator. He also has coached numerous Pro Bowlers such as Odell Beckham Jr, Vincent Jackson, Doug Martin, Eli Manning, and Steve Smith. Although Sullivan won't technically be the interim, he should be expected to work closely with the quarterbacks and wide receivers. 

Moving forward, it will be all hands on deck, and work around the clock to get this offense back on its feet. The biggest question mark will be surrounding Pickett, and is this: will the deadweight of Canada gone now propel him to greater heights, or will the same problems insist? After all, he'll need to do a lot better when it comes to his pocket presence, vision, accuracy, and openness to take more shots downfield. It's unlikely that all of these weaknesses can be resolved in a matter of seven games, but it's fair to wonder if he'd do any worse than before (which was as bad as you can get, really). 

One thing Pickett can immediately solve on his list of problems is feeding the top targets on the team George Pickens and Diontae Johnson more balls, who've both expressed their frustrations over a lack of production. Oftentimes, he is caught red-handed not looking to either one's direction in the middle of the field, and opts for a check down in the flat instead. Being afraid to throw an interception is one thing, but another if you are not utilizing your best weapons to your advantage one bit. If the Steelers want more explosive plays, they must cut the leash on Pickett and allow him to throw it further downfield. 

It's hard to throw to your best receivers when you're not willing to step into the pocket and make the necessary throws a successful NFL quarterback must make, and that's a reason why Pickett has been hindered in his development. On film, he can be seen hesitating or running into pressure that turns into sacks or incompletions. He needs to get the ball off quicker or learn to get smarter in the back pocket if he so chooses to hold onto the ball longer. There's a sheer lack of confidence in his abilities, and the only way that can change is if Pickett himself decides to step up in the pocket.

Lastly, the middle of the field has been largely underutilized for reasons nobody knows. Pickett habitually reverts to short passes and throws closer along the sidelines, but he's not gaining anything more than 10-20 yards max on completions due to this. We've never truly gotten the chance to see how good of an arm he has when throwing deep. If Mike Tomlin's convinced he's still the guy, then he needs to allow him the freedom to play how he wants, and not according to a game managing, don't turn the ball over, and win-the-game-in-the-fourth-quarter strategy. 

Time is ticking on Pickett's status, and now we get to see what he's truly made of until January. The Steelers were wise to sober up about their reality on Canada, but that cannot be the only avenue they pursue if this offense under a second-year quarterback will work. 

Either he pans out or you are forced to find a new option under center in 2024, those are the remaining outcomes. Regardless, it is a good thing that it has now become simple to gauge without coaching incompetency getting in the way because you have nothing else to lose at this point. 

Do you still think Pickett can be the franchise quarterback, and do you expect things to improve offensively from here? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. 

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