Matt Canada will keep his job despite two consecutive finishes as the 23rd-ranked offense in the NFL.
According to numerous local sources, the Steelers announced on Wednesday that Canada would serve as their offensive coordinator once more in 2023.
Since he became the offensive coordinator in 2021, Canada has been the target of criticism. Pittsburgh’s offense has degraded over the last three years into a bottom-third unit, so the complaint has at least some merit. The collapse of the NFL’s top five teams began in 2018, coinciding with the end years of the Ben Roethlisberger era (and the departures of Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell). However, their decline was more expansive than Canada.
A fresh, athletic quarterback ready to prolong plays with his feet might be all Canada lacked. With Kenny Pickett at the helm in 2022, Pittsburgh’s offense made small strides toward a more promising future, surpassing 200 yards receiving in four of his starts (and almost a fifth in Week 18, finishing with 195 yards and a touchdown). With Pickett, the Steelers’ offense progressively improved. With young players like George Pickens, Najee Harris, Diontae Johnson, and Pat Freiermuth still around, Pittsburgh should be better in 2023, especially if their reconstructed offensive line gets better the following year.
The issues that Steelers supporters had with Canada focused on two crucial areas: overall output and situational decision-making. The Steelers compromised for passes short of the line too frequently over the past two seasons to advance on third down, and their offense typically trailed an opportunistic defense that ended with the most picks in the NFL.
Canada will have one additional season to demonstrate that the Steelers’ difficulties were only growing pains during the franchise’s changeover time. The pieces are in place, but Canada needs to show that he can effectively lead the offense toward future strength.