Najee Harris takes a stance on Matt Canada critiques

The Pittsburgh Steelers rank 29th in rushing yards and 24th in passing yards through four weeks. Matt Canada's offense has a history of underperforming, as he is the only offensive coordinator since 2021 not to lead his group to 400 total yards in a game at least once.

It would not be hyperbole to call Canada the worst offensive coordinator in football, or at the very least place him in that conversation. The Steelers' complete inability to put up points is a serious limiting factor. It's hard to get excited about Kenny Pickett's future at QB if his most closely associated coach has done nothing but fail.

Pittsburgh dropped to 2-2 on the young season with a particularly embarrassing loss to the Houston Texans last Sunday. The final score was 30-6, with rookie C.J. Stroud rolling over the Steelers' vaunted defense while Kenny Pickett couldn't find a second of breathing room in Pittsburgh's constantly collapsing pocket.

Credit where credit is due — the Texans are good, maybe — but it was only the latest in a long string of bad outcomes for Canada.

His players, however, refuse to throw Canada under the bus. He has the support of his staff, but perhaps more importantly for his own job security, he has the support of players like Najee Harris.

From Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

"The coaches only can coach. At the end of the day, we have to do what we have to do. I see everybody talking about this coaching stuff, about play-calling, but bro, do y'all know how football works? Coaches only can coach. We've got to execute the plays. We're not trying to point the finger at all. This is not the time to do that. It keeps being a conversation that's brought up or things that's talked about so much. It's crazy. We have to execute at the end of the day, no matter who's back there calling the plays. I honestly say that we're not doing it right now. It has nothing to do with coaches. It's just players. We have to play better."

Najee Harris comes to defense of Matt Canada amid Pittsburgh Steelers' offensive struggles

Harris went on to say the Steelers are "playing soft," further deflecting the blame away from Canada. On one hand, it's good to see Harris taking responsibility individually and collectively. We have seen what happens when players blame coaches.

On the other hand, Canada absolutely deserves blame. This is a classic example of two truths existing simultaneously. It's called nuance.

Harris is 100 percent right. The Steelers are playing soft — the offensive line is in shambles, the run game is stagnant, and Pickett doesn't have the necessary aggression when trying to move the ball downfield. That doesn't absolve Canada, though. If anything, it contributes to the blame he deserves for not formulating a better scheme around Pickett's strengths and weaknesses. The Steelers have the personnel to operate on a level above complete inadequacy, but Canada continues to steadfastly undermine his players.

The Steelers have time to figure it out — it's only Week 5 — but at some point a trend becomes a hardened fact. Canada has been unable to get this offense off the ground for three years. It's a young group and personnel changes have been a factor, but literally every other NFL offensive coordinator has at least one 400-yard game. Pittsburgh's inability to put together explosive nights is a death knell for competitive aspirations in today's high-flying league.