Steelers expected to keep Matt Canada OC in 2023

The Steelers fans who booed Matt Canada, the offensive coordinator, and called for his firing might want to save their voices. They’ll likely continue the same booing next year.

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.

A few months back, Canada’s prospects with the Steelers looked very grim. Through Week 11, they were 3-7, had only scored at least 20 points twice, and 30 times. 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. Only three more Steelers scored more than 20 points, but the Steelers faced just one playoff team during those final seven games. It was the Baltimore Ravens who were a shadow without their QB Lamar Jackson.

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’s what Tomlin has to say about Canada following the season’s final game.

“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. It could negatively impact him (he’d need to learn a new offense, and build a relationship a with a new OC), but he’s also known Canada for years. He recently praised his Canadian counterpart Cameron Heyward on the 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 is a different kind of guy. 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 has a lot of intelligence. Pickett should be happy if the Steelers want him to become their next franchise quarterback.