Steelers miss opportunity as another top OC joins AFC contender
By John Buhler
The Pittsburgh Steelers have failed to see the error in their ways by sticking with Matt Canada.
A little bit of patience would have gone a long way with the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason.
By committing to offensive coordinator Matt Canada for another year, the Steelers settled for mediocrity rather than pursuing an opportunity to get better. There are many coordinators out there to be had at this stage of the offseason, but one of the best names briefly was available. Former Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is joining the Los Angeles Chargers.
The only way this would have been worse for Pittsburgh is if Moore landed with a divisional rival.
Pittsburgh Steelers look foolish by rolling with Matt Canada for another season
Look. The most important thing for the Steelers going forward is to put Kenny Pickett in positions to succeed. The former first-round pick will be entering his second season out of Pitt. While he does have a relatively low ceiling as a franchise quarterback, you can win a lot of games with him. Isn’t that the same sort of thing Moore did for years with Dak Prescott on the Cowboys’ staff?
Frankly, getting out of Dodge is probably the best thing for Moore in his career. He leaves the pressure cooker in DFW with a new lease on life. Though he could have led his alma mater a few years ago, the Boise State legend wanted to stay in the NFL. The Bolts have a myriad of issues, but their roster is loaded. Not only that, but Moore has aligned himself with Justin Herbert.
And this is precisely where the Steelers screwed up. The AFC is now largely run by the Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs. All three franchise have established head coaches and proven star quarterbacks in their mid-20s. One would think another AFC team will challenge them in due time. Herbert is the best quarterback talent in-conference outside of those three.
While he will have to overcome Brandon Staley nonsense for as long as Dean Spanos allows him to roam the Chargers sidelines, the Bolts will always have a chance with Herbert. As for Pittsburgh, do you really think Canada and the two-gloved Fake Slide King are going to get on their level? Moore would have only been a temporary solution for Pittsburgh, but it would have worked.
You can blame Canada all you want next season, but this all falls back on the organization itself.