The Pittsburgh Steelers will have to adjust on the fly with OC Matt Canada no longer with the team, having received his pink slip Tuesday. The team will rely on the combination of QB Coach Mike Sullivan and RB Coach Eddie Faulkner to orchestrate the offense and get Kenny Pickett into a groove, the second-year quarterback having struggled to create any sort of consistency this season.
WR Allen Robinson II was asked about Pickett in the locker room on Wednesday and the confidence he has in him leading the offense going forward. Robinson stated that he backs his quarterback, understanding that the offense’s struggles can’t fall on just one man’s shoulders.
“Confidence is high,” Robinson said to the media via a tweet from Brooke Pryor’s X page. “At the end of the day, the lows and stuff that we have had on offense doesn’t come down to one person, one individual or anything like that. I think that we have the right group to be able to do that, to get this thing pushed in the right direction. We have an immense amount of talent. I think that we’ve seen everybody making the plays that they’re capable of making across the board at every position group.”
Canada ended up being the fall guy for an offense that has been downright bad in 2023 and frankly throughout his tenure as offensive coordinator.
On a per-drive basis in 2023, the Steelers rank 31st in time of possession, 31st in plays, 30th in yards, 29th in points, 30th in first downs, and 31st in passing yards. Those are damning numbers for any offense and speak to the quality of the scheme and play design by the offensive coordinator.
However, the execution on the field was a big problem too, and Pickett has been to blame for that as well. He looked uninspiring in his last two games against the Packers and the Browns, failing to go over 150 passing yards in either contest. He struggled to connect with his pass catchers due to miscommunication issues, overthrowing his intended targets, or not seeing open receivers running down the field. He has looked frantic at times in the pocket, looking to spin out and run into pressure rather than stepping up and delivering passes from the pocket.
Still, Robinson is right in saying that the rest of the offense must carry some of the blame as well. The offensive line has been hot and cold this season, particularly in keeping Pickett clean in pass protection. The Steelers’ pass catchers have had some untimely drops and can do a better job of consistently winning on their routes.
As bad as this offense has been this season, the reality is that this offense still has a bunch of talent. Their passing-game weapons are all back fully healthy for the first time this season with George Pickens, Diontae Johnson, Robinson, Calvin Austin III, Pat Freiermuth, and Connor Heyward comprising one of the better receiving corps in football that you will find. The running game has been red hot, RB Jaylen Warren on a tear with three-straight impressive performances, teaming with RB Najee Harris to make a formidable running back tandem.
The pieces are in place for this offense to start gaining more yards and scoring more points. It’s just a matter of getting this unit out of neutral and cruising forward. That starts with Pickett. He is the captain of this ship, and the Steelers need to get him comfortable and open up the passing game for him to produce more than the disappointing numbers he’s put up this far in 2023. Faulkner and Sullivan will be taking charge in that department, hoping to bring the best out in their young quarterback, something that Canada failed to do.
