It doesn’t seem like the national media has a good feel for OC Matt Canada’s status entering Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens. Similar to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, ESPN’s Adam Schefter offered mixed signals on Canada’s standing with the organization.
This morning, Schefter offered this report.
“Mike Tomlin, the Steelers head coach, continues to support the offensive coordinator Matt Canada despite others across the league wondering about his performance and the Steelers’ offensive production,” Schefter said on ESPN’s morning show ahead of Week Five’s action. “Again, Tomlin stands by him. But it’s also important to note that the Steelers are heading into a bye week after this game, and this becomes a critical performance for the Steelers offense and its coaching staff as it hosts Baltimore today before the Steelers go into the bye week.”
Firing a coach like Canada midseason wouldn’t just be rare for the Steelers, it would be unprecedented. There’s no known evidence the team has ever done that before. The closest example is when Tomlin fired Special Teams Coordinator Al Everest days before the 2012 season kicked off.
Last year, Tomlin was publicly open to coaching changes, and it seemed like one could come during the bye week after Pittsburgh fell to 2-6. But Canada was kept, and the Steelers turned things around. Perhaps that’ll be Tomlin’s calculation again, even if the team loses today. But as Schefter implies, if the Steelers were going to make history, firing Canada during the bye week is the best and most logical time to do it.
If he was let go, the interim offensive coordinator would be either QB Coach Mike Sullivan or first-year assistant Glenn Thomas. Sullivan appears to be the more likely option given his tenure, experience, and close working relationship with QB Kenny Pickett. Thomas has coached in the NFL but spent 2015-22 in college.
Pittsburgh enters Sunday with a critical game against Baltimore. Beat the Ravens and the Steelers enter their bye week at 3-2. Regardless of offensive output, it seems almost certain Canada will be kept. But should the Steelers lose and the offense – again – struggle, there’s a chance a change could be made. But only a chance.
