For presumably the rest of the regular season, Matt Canada will remain the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator. After that, it doesn’t look likely that he will be back. While Ben Roethlisberger made it clear he’s not advocating for Canada to be fired, if the offensive coordinator role in Pittsburgh opens up, there’s one man he thinks should be up for the job. Byron Leftwich.
During a special livestream episode of Roethlisberger’s Footbahlin podcast that aired during the Steelers’ loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Roethlisberger made his case for Leftwich.
“I think if the team was to move on from Matt, I would love to see Byron Leftwich come in here and be the OC,” Roethlisberger told co-host Spence and guest Merril Hoge. “He was here. He’s played under Coach T. He understands what it means to be a Steeler. I think he’s a great OC.”
Of course, Roethlisberger knows Leftwich well. The two were teammates for years in Pittsburgh when Leftwich served as Roethlisberger’s backup. Leftwich appeared in eight games for the team, making one start, throwing for a pair of touchdowns and one interception. But his football IQ and professionalism were praised and, Leftwich took the coaching route after his NFL career ended.
He began as an intern for the Arizona Cardinals before moving up and becoming the team’s quarterbacks coach while serving as their interim OC in 2018 after Mike McCoy was fired. Tampa Bay hired him to be its offensive coordinator in 2019 and his initial time there went well. With Tom Brady signing in 2020, the Bucs’ offense ranked third in points in 2020 and second in 2021. Leftwich was believed to become the Jaguars’ head coach but the deal fell through at the last second and he returned as Buccaneers’ coordinator. His 2022 season was a difficult one. Tampa Bay’s offense plummeted to 25th in points per game, Leftwich criticized for running and being too conservative with the football. After an 8-9 finish and NFC Wild Card exit, he was fired.
Leftwich has been unemployed since. Earlier this month, there was one report that he reached out to Pittsburgh about a consulting role though it was denied by his agency.
Under Canada, the Steelers’ offense been tough to watch for most of the 2023 season and fans have routinely called for him to be fired. His tenure with the team has not produced positive results and Pittsburgh’s production has decreased throughout his tenure. The offense again offered little in the Steelers’ loss to the Jaguars, putting up just 10 points. In the final year of his contract, it’s doubtful Canada will ink a new deal and return in 2024.
Assuming there will be a coordinator change, Leftwich’s name figures to be a widely discussed name. As Roethlisberger said, his relationship with the team and Tomlin will help and virtually every Steelers offensive coordinator the last two decades had some ties with the team before being hired. Ken Whisenhunt, Bruce Arians, and Randy Fichtner were all longtime coaches before being promoted. Canada was promoted after one year as the team’s quarterbacks coach and there was some relationship prior to that with Tomlin’s son, Dino, getting recruited by Canada to Maryland. Todd Haley’s father Dick Haley was a Steeler and longtime executive while Todd served as a team ballboy growing up.
It would be a safe bet to assume Leftwich at least receives an interview. He figures to be one of several external candidates along with possible internal options in QB Coach Mike Sullivan and perhaps offensive assistant Glenn Thomas.
Watch back the entire livestream at the link below.
