After being moved from the booth to the sideline just a few weeks ago, Matt Canada has been completely removed from the stadium by the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team’s offense is struggling, and they have been outgained every week. Despite their success earlier in the season, they have lacked an identity, rhythm, and flow, making it difficult for them to execute a broader strategy to confuse opposing defenses. On Sunday, it was apparent that this was a major issue during their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The game ended in a 10-point loss, with several incidents occurring on the sidelines. Receiver Diontae Johnson was reportedly carried away from a member of the coaching staff, head coach Mike Tomlin had to get involved in a kerfuffle, and running back Najee Harris made post-game comments indicating that he was at his breaking point. As a result of these incidents, someone else will be taking charge of the offense moving forward. Running backs coach Eddie Faulkner will be calling the plays, while quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan will be responsible for implementing changes to improve their performance.
While there have been some successful examples of teams changing offensive coordinators mid-season and winning championships (such as the Baltimore Ravens in December 2012), this situation is different because Kenny Pickett is still relatively new to the NFL and has not yet established himself as a top-tier quarterback. It’s possible that Pickett may not be able to lead this team to victory on his own merits alone and may require some additional support or changes to improve their performance. This could mean pivoting to another quarterback such as Mitch Trubisky or investing in more talent through free agency or trades before next season starts.