Steelers Rumors: Surprise trade, Minkah sends message, Head Coach Matt Canada?
By Kristen Wong
Steelers Rumors: Matt Canada prematurely tagged as HC candidate
Head coach Matt Canada just sounds... off. Doesn't easily roll off the tongue.
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio nonetheless has Canada's name in his mouth, and he had a somewhat hot take claiming the third-year offensive coordinator could become a head coach candidate by next offseason.
Florio said Canada and Kenny Pickett were essentially "attached at the hip", and if Pickett performs well in 2023, Canada's stock goes up, too. "Canada certainly benefits from that. If Pickett really takes off this year or next year, that really helps Canada because owners will look at it and give a lot of credit to the coach.”
Florio stops short of saying anything actually complimentary about Canada -- how could he, after he led the Steelers' offense to the bottom of the league in 2022, ranked 26th in points scored and 23rd in total yards.
Should Pickett take a huge Year 2 leap, it could be in spite of Canada rather than because of him, but that's not what teams looking for young, fast-rising head coaches may care about. On the surface, if Pickett improves his game, by default, Canada's reputation gets a boost as well.