The fate of Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada has been a hot topic of debate since the season ended. After a miserable start to the year which included players hinting at Canada’s incompetence, things changed after the Week 9 bye. The offense improved, and the team went on a run of wins, almost making the postseason in the process.
There have been plenty of rumors since the end of the season, but most of them have included Canada likely staying with the team in 2023. Now, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has an update. Per his reports, the Steelers plan on keeping Canada for the 2023 campaign. It will be his third season as the team’s OC, and his second with quarterback Kenny Pickett.
It’s possible the team simply didn’t want to change coordinators after Pickett’s first season in the league. Keeping some sort of consistency for Pickett and his growth as a quarterback could turn out to be beneficial in 2023. Now this could be seen as one last chance for Canada, who was partially responsible for the offense’s improvements in the second half of this season.
The OC’s contract runs through 2023, so the team could entirely just let him walk next offseason and find a new coordinator then. One report from Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan was that the team was waiting to see if Byron Leftwich became available before deciding Canada’s fate. A former NFL quarterback which included two stops in Pittsburgh, Leftwich has been fired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
A hot commodity just a year ago, Leftwich struggled to keep a balanced offense in Tampa Bay this season, leading to a dramatic drop-off in production. It ended in a one-and-done playoff stint, as they got blown out by the Dallas Cowboys on Monday. That report seems to be squashed though, as despite Leftwich now being available, the Steelers will hold onto Canada.
More must-reads: