The Steelers are now in their offseason after failing to reach the playoffs in 2022, coming up just a game short of sneaking in as the seventh seed. They needed help in week 18 and only got some of it, so instead, they sat home and watched the playoffs with the rest of us.
On tap is figuring out how to be on the field in January and February instead of being a spectator. They started out 2-6, digging a hole that proved too deep to dig out of even if they managed to go 7-2 in the second half of the year.
Starting from the end of the regular season and leading all the way up to the beginning of the 2023 season, there are plenty of questions that need answering, starting with who will be the offensive coordinator. Which free agents will be kept? Who might be let go due to their salary? How might they tackle free agency with this new front office? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout this offseason, as we have for many years.
Question: Could the Steelers hire help for Matt Canada as offensive coordinator?
The Steelers are somewhat notorious, at least among their fans, for consistently having among the smallest coaching staffs in the league. They haven’t been completely resistant to expansion, with the addition of the senior defensive assistant role as an example, however.
Could they consider a similar role for the offensive side of the ball this year? Maybe, say, Byron Leftwich? The former Steelers quarterback, who was just fired as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator, is now available.
But that’s just one name out there. It could be anybody who’s available. With a young quarterback, and a young offense in general, could we see the Steelers look to expand the coaching staff to try to provide the level of instruction needed to take this group to where it needs to go?
I wouldn’t exactly bet money on it, but then again, I never expected head coach Mike Tomlin to hire Teryl Austin years ago as senior defensive assistant, or to continue that role with Brian Flores this past year—both men with whom he has some level of personal relationship or camaraderie. The same can be said for Andy Weidl, who was hired to the newly-created position of assistant general manager.
He obviously has that with somebody like Leftwich, about whom he has spoken very positively as a football mind. And while I don’t want to harp on Leftwich specifically—and I’m certainly not campaigning for the Steelers to hire him—I think his name being out there makes this more plausible.
After all, Tomlin and other higher-ups often talk about how much value they place on personal relationships, for better or worse. They have a personal relationship with and a great deal of respect for Leftwich. Even though they are keeping Canada as offensive coordinator, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they won’t still add another name.
