Even Cam Heyward thinks the Steelers are running a ‘very vanilla’ offense

Among the many criticisms the Pittsburgh Steelers have faced in recent years have come from offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s system.

In Canada’s first two seasons as offensive coordinator, the team has ranked 23rd in offense. Granted, he’s worked with an aging Ben Roethlisberger and a rookie Kenny Pickett in those two seasons, but it doesn’t appear that Canada wants to add new layers to the offense.

Not only is that drawing criticism from pundits, but also from players inside the locker room. “Matt Canada is not opening up the playbook,” defensive end Cam Heyward said on his podcast. “It’s very vanilla right now, I have to say ... I think Coach Canada is holding it close to the vest right now. I hope so, and we’ll see what goes from there.”

Heyward faces Canada’s offense in practice, so he might be one of the most qualified people to speak on the subject. The Steelers’ defense is also one of the best in the NFL, so it’s not a surprise that it is able to perform well against the offense.

That being said, the most successful offenses in the NFL usually have a bit of trickery and complexity to them, and from Heyward’s comments, those are two words that can’t be used to describe the Steelers' offense.

Even with just three training camp practices left on the schedule, the Steelers are still weeks away from any meaningful football games. Regardless, here’s to hoping Pittsburgh adds a little flavor to the offense by September 10.