Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin Didn't Tell His Players He Was Firing Matt Canada

The Pittsburgh Steelers just did something they hadn't done in over 80 years - they fired a coach mid-season. After a lackluster start to the 2023 season for Pittsburgh's offense, Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada was relieved of his duties early on Tuesday. This marks the first time a coach has been fired by the Steelers during a season since 1941, when Burt Bell was fired as head coach. 

The Steelers have started the 2023 season with a historically bad offense, leading them to be bottom-five in the NFL in statistics like offensive points per game, total yards per game, yards per play, red zone touchdown percentage, and more. The firing comes as no surprise to Steelers fans, pairing the poor offensive performance with "Fire [Matt] Canada" chants that would ring out almost anywhere where a Steelers fan was located. 

Head Coach Mike Tomlin along with the rest of the Steelers organization made the decision to announce that they had fired Canada on Tuesday, and a couple of hours later, Tomlin had a press conference in which the firing was asked about relentlessly. Tomlin was hesitant to go into detail about the decision that was made, but did discuss an interesting point; he didn't tell any players that Canada has been fired. So how would his players hear about the change in coaching?

"Probably from you [the media]," Tomlin commented. 

Now without their head play-caller for the remainder of the 2023 season, Pittsburgh turns to running backs coach Eddie Faulkner to be the acting offensive coordinator, while quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan will play-call for the Steelers. Big changes can be expected now that Canada's lackluster offensive scheme has left town, but many questions still need to be answered about some players, not just the coaching and play-calling. 

How Will The Steelers Move On?

Now with two people sharing the responsibilities of an offensive coordinator instead of Canada doing it all, Pittsburgh's offense might have a very different look than what most are used to. Most notably, the running game could become more involved, as it has already shown great improvement from 2022 into 2023. Now the running backs coach is in charge of things, a bigger workload could be given to both Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Warren has one of his most impressive games to date against the Cleveland Browns, picking up 129 yards on only nine carries and also collecting a touchdown. Now that Warren has undoubtedly proved himself to be of starting caliber in the NFL, the Steelers could try some dual-back sets utilizing both Harris and Warren, with Harris filling the role as a powerful, third-down back, while Warren becomes the elusive back. 

The Kenny Pickett experiment isn't quite over yet in Pittsburgh either. Pickett has struggled in 2023, only throwing for 1,722 yards and six touchdowns through 11 weeks, while also throwing four interceptions. Pickett's quarterback ranking tallies at 28th among all active quarterbacks, putting him at the bottom end of all starting quarterbacks in the NFL. However, his four interceptions along with no fumbles lost leave him with the least turnovers committed by a starting quarterback in the NFL, a bright spot for a gloomy season for the young quarterback. 

Pickett now has his entire receiving core healthy, as Diontae Johnson recently came back from an injury, and breakout tight end Pat Freiermuth is finally healthy again too. 

The Steelers are also at an integral part of the season as they look to make a late playoff push. Following their loss to the Browns, Pittsburgh sits at 6-4, holding onto the last seed in the NFL playoffs. A tough schedule awaits the Steelers, but a revamped offense could be exactly what the doctor ordered to make this team succeed. 

What do you think of the Steelers getting rid of Canada? Will the team see an immediate offensive improvement? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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