The Pittsburgh Steelers are officially done with offensive coordinator Matt Canada, firing him on Tuesday morning.
Mike Tomlin seldom fires anyone on his coaching staff, period. To do so in-season is a massive shift in ideology from the longtime Steelers head coach, and an admission of just how bad things were on the offensive side of the ball under Matt Canada's leadership.
A quick gander at the team's rankings dfuring Canada's time as offensive coordinator shows just that. They ranked 25th or worse in yards and points scored the last two seasons. Though Kenny Pickett has not been good enough to overcome a poor system, the system itself appears to be the bigger issue.
It all came to a head in Week 11 when the Steelers scored just 10 points and lost to an undermanned Cleveland Browns team. The fact that the game was extremely winnable with Cleveland scoring just 13 points made it even worse.
With Canada out, the Steelers will surely look different moving forward. The shift from 2023 to 2024 may bring about a new face in the coaching staff to take over as offensive coordinator, and with that shift could come more players and coaches that are relieved of their duties, are traded, or leave the organization for other reasons.
Here are some who might not be Steelers come next summer.
Diontae Johnson
Diontae Johnson simply does not seem to be having a good time anymore with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Having spent his entire career with Pittsburgh, he remembers what it was like to catch passes from Ben Roethlisberger. The current state of things is a far cry from the luxury he started his pro career with.
Not since his rookie and sophomore season has Johnson seen so few targets, currently getting 7.83 per game. That, despite his yards per reception and yards per target being up.
Johnson is a key subject that could earn himself a bigger role with a new play-caller in Mike Sullivan, who is running the offense in-game for the Steelers moving forward. But his spat with a coach during Week 11's game could be a signal that things are too far gone.
With one more year on his contract, it seems feasible that Johnson could be an attractive piece to wave around in the trade market come draft season to try to net a pick or two. Wide receivers are the easiest position to find an immediate turnaround after plugging into a new system, and few teams can ever say they have too much talent in their receiver room.
Mike Sullivan
Eddie Faulkner is taking over as offensive coordinator, but Mike Sullivan is calling plays for the Steelers during games. Sullivan, the team's quarterbacks coach, is in his 19th year of coaching at the pro level and his third year with the Steelers.
It's easy to conjure up a few scenarios where Sullivan might depart. For one, Sullivan is skilled and comes with plenty of experience at the pro level. He's worked with Eli Manning, If he excels as a play-caller, teams might want to nab him as their full-time offensive coordinator.
If he performs poorly, it might be another person that Tomlin views as necessary to cut ties with. The way the offense has been performing, removing Canada might not be enough to put the issues to bed.
Whether by scapegoat or by outside vertical movement, Sullivan could find himself working for another team in 2024.
Najee Harris
What has happened with Najee Harris? After his 2021 Pro Bowl selection, Harris has languished in the Matt Canada system and is Case A1 when looking for examples of players that have had their careers stunted by playing under the disgraced offensive coordinator.
Harris went from 18.1 attempts per game in 2021 to 16.0 in 2022 and 12.8 in 2023. His success rate has dropped every year and his yards per game have dipped below 50 this season after his rookie season featured 70.6 per game.
Harris's lack of inclusion in the play-calling, and an inability to figure out how to use him effectively is one of the biggest sins of the short-lived Canada era in Pittsburgh. While Steelers fans are likely hoping this works itself out, it may be too far gone and worthwhile to look for a trade opportunity.
Harris is still young, just 25 years old, and could generate plenty of trade interest from teams around the league in need of fresh legs that think they can repurpose Harris within their system. Surveying the best trade pieces Pittsburgh has if they want to go for an all-out retool, Harris is near the top of the list.
Kenny Pickett
With Matt Canada out, Kenny Pickett might have just become the de facto most frustrating figure in Pittsburgh football.
Pickett's two-year career has been up-and-down, to say the least. He's got a winning record, 13-9, and even has six comebacks and seven game-winning drives to his name already in the 22 games he's started. That's... Low key impressive?
Yet, Pickett ranks 38th in expected points added over the last two seasons. Here are some notable names that rank ahead of him:
- Josh Dobbs
- Desmond Ridder
- Justin Fields
- Gardner Minshew II
- Mitchell Trubisky
- Taylor Heinicke
- Andy Dalton
- Marcus Mariota
- Sam Howell
- Jacoby Brissett
Looking at various advanced metrics and where Pickett ranks in his first two seasons, he often lands in the same place: 30th or worst. He's quite simply, been a fairly mediocre quarterback thus far, and his abilities clearly liken to that of a backup quarterback more than a winning starter.
Yet the Steelers are in the hunt for a playoff spot, and even an AFC North win if they play things right. And he'll now be out under the shadow of Canada.
We'll find out a lot over these next few weeks. One: How much was Canada holding Pickett back? Two: Can Pickett will the Steelers to a postseason appearance?
If he can, expect him to remain in Pittsburgh. But an implosion will likely have the Steelers looking at options at quarterback once again this offseason.
With the Matt Canada excuse gone, the pressure is on Pickett to win.
