With NFL OTAs now in the rearview mirror, there are several questions lingering for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Who will be the starting left tackle? Who will be playing nickel cornerback? Will Kenny Pickett take a second-year leap? According to Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report, no question looms larger for the black and gold than the growth of offensive coordinator Matt Canada. Ballentine believes Canada’s status on the “hot seat” is one of the top storylines to follow this year.
He writes: “The 51-year-old is entering his third season as the man behind the Steelers offense and they’ve ranked 23rd in yardage both seasons and aren’t much better than that by any other metric…Pickett is now entering Year 2. Broderick Jones and Isaac Seumalo were added to the offensive line. The list of excuses for Canada not to produce a better offense in 2023 is shrinking.”
Canada, now in his fourth year with the Steelers, three as offensive coordinator and one as quarterbacks coach, has heard his fair share of criticism from fans and the media. Last season, Pittsburgh touted the 26th-best scoring offense, a slight regression from the year before where they ranked 21st.
As Ballentine mentions, Canada has not had the most stable crop of talent to work with in his time. There has been massive turnover at several positions, most notably quarterback where the team shifted from long-time starter Ben Roethlisberger to rookie Kenny Pickett in 2022. Roethlisberger specifically was very skeptical of the team’s offensive coordinator after spending a season under his wing. The six-time Pro Bowler even took a subtle jab at Canada on his Footballin’ podcast following the Steelers 2022 season-opening win against the Bengals.
Roethlisberger and Maurkice Pouncey were talking about kicker Chris Boswell seemingly saying, “It ain’t cause of you. I can guarantee you that much,” in a post-game video. When Pouncey asked if Ben thought that was about Canada he laughed and said, “I don’t know. I can’t confirm or deny that.”
Despite the 41-year-old having his gripes with Canada, Pickett is now the starting quarterback of the team. The two have had a relationship since their college days when Canada recruited Pickett to the University of Pittsburgh. That relationship and having the ability to integrate the young gunslinger into the team’s offense early in his career should equate to more success for the offense.
Add several new offensive weapons like receivers Calvin Austin III and Allen Robinson II, along with the new faces of Isaac Seumalo and Broderick Jones on the offensive line and the list of excuses that Ballentine mentions shrinks even more.
It should be noted that coming out of OTA’s there have been several notes of changes within Canada’s offense.
When talking to Joe Rutter of the Trib Live, backup quarterback Mason Rudolph said, “I’m not going to say we’re revolutionizing our offense and everything is changing, but there are some new things that can make us a lot better.”
No matter the case, Ballentine is correct. The progression of Matt Canada and his offensive schemes is crucial for the success of the team.
