The Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022 only scored 30 points once in 17 games — and that was in a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The offense digressed to 26th overall by the season’s end. That kind of ranking would often spark a change. But not from head coach Mike Tomlin, as he’s given Matt Canada an extra year as offensive coordinator.
Matt Canada’s Time With Steelers Came Before CFB Career
This is Canada’s fourth year with the franchise. He first joined the team in 2020 as quarterbacks coach before the elevation to offensive coordinator the next year.
And the Steelers represent his only NFL job on his résumé. Most of his time swung between Bloomington, Indiana, and DeKalb County, Illinois.
His coaching career began in 1994 at the collegiate level when he began as a graduate assistant at Indiana. His first offensive coordinator gig was with Butler, where he ran the offense for the Bulldogs for one season in 1997.
From 1998-2003, he worked with Northern Illinois and held roles of QBs coach, RBs coach, and passing game coordinator. He eventually returned to the Hoosiers from 2004-2010. He eventually returned to NIU for one more season in 2011.
But from 2012-2018, he became immersed in the Power Five realm with the following stops in chronological order: Wisconsin, North Carolina State, Pittsburgh, LSU, and Maryland — the latter making him interim head coach in 2018 after the school placed head coach D.J. Durkin on administrative leave for player mistreatment following the death of lineman Jordan McNair.
In the 2020s, Canada has only worn black and yellow. And turns out, even as the Steelers were struggling in his area of expertise, there was no desire to part ways with Canada … with the final result proving why he was granted another year.
Mike Tomlin Remained Faithful in Canada
Following an embarrassing 38-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills that dropped the Steelers to 1-4, the Super Bowl-winning head coach was asked if he would be open to a change on offense.
Tomlin told reporters (via Mike DeFabo of The Athletic), “I’m not changing for the sake of changing. I’m changing if I feel it produces a better-desired outcome in any area. We’re looking at those things. We’re open to those things, but not in an effort to quell the masses.”
As the offense continued to struggle with the Steelers staring at a sub-.500 record and a last-place finish in the division, Tomlin again denied making a change.
Turns out his faith in Canada paid off, as the Steelers went from 3-7 to finishing above .500 at 9-8 overall. During the streak, here was what the offense went on to accomplish that helped Canada stay on board:
- Averaged 19.7 points per game — an improvement from the 17 points per game they produced during the first 10 games.
- The ground game went on to surpass more than 100 yards in the last four games.
- In the seven-game turnaround stretch, the Steelers racked up 337.4 yards per game of total offense. They were averaging 277.1 yards per contest during the 3-7 start.
MORE: List of Current NFL Offensive Coordinators
Then there’s this: With Canada’s background as a QBs coach, he was able to get some early development out of rookie Kenny Pickett. The first-rounder went on to finish 7-6 overall as a starter. Now, he’s shown an improvement in accuracy this preseason.
The Steelers’ late-season turnaround was enough to keep Canada on board for one more year after questions about his future. In the process, he gives Tomlin some continuity for his now second-year passer as well as another young talent in Pro Bowl running back Najee Harris.