Steelers expected to keep Matt Canada OC in 2023

Fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers People who spent the season calling for Matt Canada’s firing and booing Matt Canada as offensive coordinator may be able to save their voices by starting to save them now. Next season, they will likely do a lot more of the same booing.

Gerry Dulac from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says that the Steelers are expected to keep Canada on staff as offensive coordinator for the 2023 season.

Canada’s future with Steelers was looking pretty grim just a few months ago. They went 3-7 from Week 11. They had scored at most 20 points only twice and at least 30 once. Things changed in Week 12. The Steelers went 6-1 with a four-game winning streak to end the season — though it wasn’t quite the miraculous turnaround it seemed to be. The Steelers scored more than 20 points three more times and faced only one playoff opponent over the final seven games. Baltimore RavensWithout QB Lamar Jackson at the center, the scouts were a shadow version of themselves.

It makes sense to fire an offensive coordinator, especially if his plan wasn’t working out. The improvement Canada and the offense showed in the final weeks — meager as it was — may have helped head coach Mike Tomlin make that decision. Here is what Tomlin had to say about Canada after the last game of the season.

“I thought he got better just like our team got better,” Tomlin said via The Athletic. “I’m not going to speculate about him or anyone as I stand here today. … I’m just not there. We have some work to do, but largely I thought he got better in the ways that we got better, so it was encouraging.”

Kenny Pickett, a rookie quarterback, could also be a factor. He could be negatively affected by leaving Canada (he would have to learn a different offense and establish a relationship with a new OC), but he has been friends with Canada for many years and was happy to sing his praises about his teammate. Cameron Heyward‘s podcast, “Not Just Football.”

“He picks my brain on what I like and how I like it,” Pickett said. “Throughout the game, [he’s] He asked me to rank plays. He likes to see the game from the quarterback’s point of view. He likes to keep things different. We really caught stride after that bye week, and we figured out what it takes to win — what that recipe looks like, so we can continue to grow as a team and grow as an offense.”

Tomlin is intelligent. Pickett should be happy if the Steelers want him to become their next franchise quarterback.