Following an abysmal offensive performance Sunday in Cleveland in a 13-10 loss, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced the firing of offensive coordinator Matt Canada Tuesday.
In a statement from head coach Mike Tomlin, the Steelers stated that they have relieved Canada of his duties as offensive coordinator.
“I appreciate Matt’s hard work and dedication, and I wish him the best moving forward,” Tomlin said in the statement.
According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, running backs coach Eddie Faulkner and quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan will work together to assume the role of offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh. Sullivan was previously an offensive coordinator with the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while this will be Faulkner’s first time in an offensive coordinator role, a position he previously stated was his goal to one day become in the NFL.
Now he gets a shot.
The Steelers have been outgained in every single game this season and have been one of the league’s worst offenses in a number of statistical categories.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac, the decision to fire Canada Tuesday morning came down from Steelers president Art Rooney II. Dulac previously reported that Rooney was the one who hired Canada as offensive coordinator back in 2021.
Dulac adds Rooney’s decision came from the Steelers abysmal production and QB Kenny Pickett’s struggles in his second year, regressing from where he left off as a rookie.
Canada came to the Steelers from the University of Maryland, where he was the offensive coordinator and then the interim head coach. Canada first served as the Steelers’ quarterbacks coach under then offensive coordinator Randy Fitchner, working with Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in 2020, before being promoted to offensive coordinator for the 2021 season.
In two and a half seasons in Pittsburgh, Canada’s offensive vision never came to fruition as the Steelers struggled to do much of anything on that side of the ball consistently.
Through the first 10 games of the 2023 season, the Steelers’ offense ranks 28th in points per game (16.6), 28th in yards per game (280.1), and 31st in passing yards per game (170.0). Yet, the Steelers are somehow 6-4 on the season.
In Canada’s tenure, the Steelers averaged just 217 passing yards per game, 108 rushing yards per game and scored just 75 total touchdowns in 45 games, averaging just 1.7 touchdowns per game. Those numbers add up to just 325 total yards of offense per game throughout his tenure. The Steelers have not recorded a 400-yard game in 58 games, either.
Now, Pittsburgh’s offense gets a breath of fresh air.
