Steelers fire offensive coordinator Matt Canada

The Pittsburgh Steelers have fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada, the team announced in a statement from head coach Mike Tomlin Tuesday.

Running backs coach Eddie Faulkner is expected to take over at offensive coordinator, while quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan is expected to call plays for the offense, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissoro reports.

Canada has been the team’s offensive coordinator since the 2021 season, after spending a year working as the quarterbacks coach, once former OC Randy Fitchner did not have his contract renewed. Since then, the offense has sputtered tremendously in terms of yardage and scoring production. Still, the team elected to renew Canada’s contract for another year to keep him on through the 2023 season, making the news all the more surprising given the team’s historical displays of loyalty.

Fans have been calling for Canada’s job for well over a year at this point, but the calls had reached an all-time high this season, when “Fire Canada!” chants began echoing through televisions nationwide. Over the past two seasons under Canada, the team has ranked 23rd and 25th among NFL teams in yardage production, respectively, while ranking 26th and 28th in points scored. While it has still amounted to a winning record to this point, those wins have been squarely thanks to the defense.

The biggest problem with the offense’s lack of production — beyond the, you know, lack of production — has been the inability to fairly evaluate second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett in the midst of it. The former first-round pick is coming off a 106 passing yard performance, having thrown just two touchdowns over the past seven weeks.