In news that should come as no surprise at this point, the Pittsburgh Steelers have no plans to fire offensive coordinator Matt Canada, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports. She added the Steelers held a meeting this week to find answers for their struggling offense during their bye week.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers have no plans to fire offensive coordinator Matt Canada or turn the play calling over to another coach on the staff, a person familiar with the situation shared this week. I was told if a move was going to be made, it would have happened already. Though fans have criticized Canada and his play calling, Steelers players and coach Mike Tomlin have continued to show him support. I was told the team held a meeting this week to come together and search for some answers as they approach the bye week,” Russini wrote for The Athletic”
The more likely scenario instead of letting Canada go would be to turn play-calling over to another offensive coach, such as offensive assistant Glenn Thomas. But it sounds as Canada will remain the team’s primary play-caller.
If the Steelers were going to make a move, it likely would’ve happened at the beginning of the bye week. But Canada remains employed without any public change in role, and that’s the way it’ll stay throughout the season. The Steelers traditionally don’t fire assistants and coordinators, instead opting to let their contracts expire. That especially holds true that they wouldn’t fire a coach midseason, and the same goes for a role change.
We’ll see if the meeting sparked any answers and Canada can find ways to make the offense improve coming out of the bye. The players also reportedly had a meeting after their loss to the Houston Texans to figure out execution, but this meeting seems to have included members of the coaching staff, as well.
Canada has been criticized since taking over as Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator ahead of the 2021 season, and that’s reached a fever pitch this season with multiple “Fire Canada” chants throughout the season at Acrisure Stadium. The offense has been stagnant and rudimentary for much of the last two years, and the QB-OC duo of Canada and Kenny Pickett has yet to work out for Pittsburgh.
A change in play-caller likely wouldn’t do much at this juncture of the season for the Steelers, and a change would come this offseason. Last year, improved play by the offensive line helped spark a better run game coming out of the bye and the offense got better. Hopefully, the offense can find a similar improvement through the air and on the ground this year.
Pittsburgh will take on the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Week Seven, and you’ll see Canada calling the offense in the coaches box.
