Mike Tomlin: No Decision on Future of Matt Canada
PITTSBURGH — If Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is ready to move on from Matt Canada as offensive coordinator, he’s not saying so just yet.
In Tomlin’s end-of-season press conference on Monday, Tomlin said that it was too soon to have firm plans regarding the future of his coaching staff.
“I’m not going to speculate about him or anyone as I stand here today,” Tomlin said. “We fight and that fight has come to an end. I’m just beginning the process of transitioning in terms of wrapping a bow around it and looking and seeing what 2023 looks like. I’m just not there. We’ve got some work to do.”
Tomlin did say that he thought Canada improved throughout the season, his second running the Pittsburgh offense.
“Largely, I thought he got better in the ways that we got better, and so it was encouraging,” Tomlin said.
The Steelers finished the 2022 regular season ranked 26th in the NFL in points, 23rd in yards, 24th in passing yards, 16th in rushing yards and 27th in yards per play. Most of those rankings came near or below Canada’s first season in 2021.
Several offensive players threw their support behind Canada following the end of the season on Sunday, most vocally, running back Najee Harris.
“We all believe in (Matt) Canada,” Harris said. “As players, we’re the ones that have to make plays. He put us in the best positions and they can say what they want.”
Canada is under contract through the end of the 2023 season, so it’s certainly possible that he could return despite those middling results.
One thing is for sure, unlike senior defensive assistant Brian Flores, who has been sought out as a defensive coordinator and linked to head coaching positions, the Steelers won’t have to fend anyone off if they want to retain Canada’s services.
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