Could Ben Roethlisberger take over as Steelers next OC?

It feels as though everyone except the Steelers wants the team to get rid of offensive coordinator Matt Canada, whose unit is among the league's worst. If Pittsburgh fires him, could it turn to its former two-time Super Bowl-winning QB?

"Why not Ben Roethlisberger as OC for the Pittsburgh Steelers?" ESPN personality Pat McAfee asked. "You can't put in a whole new offense. That's gonna be a tough thing to do. You have to hire from within. But if we're hiring from within, we're still running the same plays that Matt Canada has."

Although it feels unlikely, it would make some sense. Roethlisberger knows the plays and players and seems to have the team's best interests at heart.

The 18-year veteran has more than enough experience and clearly has strong opinions on the team. He recently put Canada on blast for his fourth-and-one play call in Week 4 against Houston, which resulted in QB Kenny Pickett getting injured.

"I hated the play call," Roethlisberger said on his "Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger" podcast. "They come out in shotgun and I'm like, 'Oh, maybe they're going to draw them offsides,' ... and they snap the ball ... and I don't believe it."

If head coach Mike Tomlin were to make a change, he'd likely promote someone else already on the coaching staff, which is what he has done before and how Canada got his job.

But the Steelers clearly must try something new, and Roethlisberger, who retired in 2022, would be an intriguing choice. He would, of course, need to be interested in the job. Perhaps he'd consider it.

"He's not enjoying his retirement," McAfee said. "He's stressing over every [play] call."

Pittsburgh is sticking with Canada for now, but another ugly showing against the Ravens (3-1) at home in Week 5 could make a change at OC more realistic.