The Pittsburgh Steelers aren't Super Bowl contenders following the end of the 2022 NFL regular season and won't be considered a favorite for next year throughout the 2023 off-season or entering the new season. With the highest-paid defense in the league, a 9-8 record and no postseason appearances, there are certain factors to take a look at heading into the long break.
But the offense is going to be the topic of the conversation for the next few months. Head Coach Mike Tomlin and some of his players discussed the state of that unit on Monday and it's safe to safe a lot of people in the building believe Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada will be back.
Steelers offensive coordinator, Matt Canada takes a look at a play call sheet on the field at practice during the 2022 training camp at St. Vincent College. | Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Tomlin had plenty to say at his year-end press conference on Monday, but as many know of the Steelers' leader, he did not go into extreme detail about certain topics. One of those was the security of coaches on his staff. A reporter specifically asked about Canada and while the majority of the black and gold faithful would probably like to see him gone, Tomlin made sure to point out that he was pleased with the play caller's performance down the stretch.
"I thought he got better," Tomlin said. "Just like our team got better. I'm not going to speculate about him or anyone as I stand here today. I'm just beginning the process of transitioning in terms of wrapping a bow around it and looking and seeing what 2023 looks like. I'm just not there. We got some work to do, but largely I thought he got better in the ways that we got better. It was encouraging."
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin addresses the fans at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA during the team's training camp in 2022. | Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Some may expect Quarterback Kenny Pickett to have some kind of say in the decision, but yet again, Tomlin refused to dive into how he would approach the fresh and abrupt entrance to the off-season.
"I am not going to delve into the dynamics of my decision-making. It doesn’t serve me or us in any way to peel back that curtain."
Offensive Guard Kevin Dotson, whose job may be on the hot seat, was also very complimentary of the job that Canada did, especially following Week 8 when the Steelers offense as a whole came alive.
"The bye week definitely opened up a lot of people's eyes to his true vision because we had that sit-down [talking about] what he expects and what he wants to happen in the future. And [Coach] Tomlin supplemented that with his vision and I think that helped us all," Dotson said.
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman, Kevin Dotson (#69) jogs on the field at Acrisure stadium during warmups before a 2022 regular contest against the New York Jets at Acrisure Stadium. | Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
There has been a ton of criticism during Canada's tenure that his play-calling is extremely predictable. Running Back Najee Harris doesn't buy that narrative and thinks that all NFL teams do the same things.
"Everybody's saying that he called the same plays, but everybody calls the same plays, you know what I mean? You can look at everybody everywhere. Everybody calls the same plays. He's dressed up a different way. If you really know Xs and Os, that's really what it is," Harris said.
It's hard to speculate on Canada's future. He was clearly incompetent the first year and a half of his tenure, but the offense was significantly better in the second half of the season. Is he the guy that Tomlin trusts with the future of the young, potentially explosive offense? Time will tell.
Do you think that Tomlin will retain Canada? Let us know in the comments below!
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