Steelers Have Hired A New Offensive Coordinator

The Pittsburgh Steelers needed a new offensive coordinator in 2024 after the team fired Matt Canada midway through the season.

Interim offensive coordinator Eddie Faulkner didn’t appear to be the leading candidate, either, despite helping lead the Steelers to the playoffs with Mason Rudolph under center.

Ryan Tannehill - Tennessee Titans Quarterback - ESPN

Instead, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin went with an experienced offensive play-caller, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pellisero, in former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith.

This move gives Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett a true coach to help him develop in a critical third season.

Smith helped remake Ryan Tannehill’s career when he was the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans for two seasons from 2019 to 2020, though he failed to elevate the Falcons’ offense during his three years in Atlanta.

The Titans offense ranked top-10 in points in both seasons he called plays, including a fourth-place finish in 2020.

Pittsburgh has a solid core of offensive skill position players between running backs Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris as well as wide receivers George Pickens and Diontae Johnson.

Tennessee Titans QB Ryan Tannehill placed on reserve/COVID-19 list

The key to the Steelers’ entire operation, though, is if Pickett can transform from game manager to playmaker this upcoming season

Pickett played just well enough to win games for the Steelers, but the team relied more on it’s offense than their quarterback’s arm.

Rudolph actually looked better under center when he took over for Mitchell Trubisky late in the year and maintained the starter’s role even after Pickett recovered from a mid-season ankle injury.

The team will need to make a decision on Pickett after this upcoming season.

Steelers Owner Reveals What He Wants To See From Kenny Pickett

The 2023 NFL season turned out to be a forgettable one for the Pittsburgh Steelers, with the storied franchise being a disappointment for most of the regular season, especially on the offensive side of the football.

Things got so bad on offense for the Steelers during the regular season that the team unexpectedly fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada, which proved that the team was getting increasingly frustrated with the defense having to win games.

Paul Zeise: Kenny Pickett should be the Steelers' starting QB | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

One of the major concerns during the 2023 campaign for the Steelers was the lack of improvement from second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett, who the team was hoping would be the new franchise quarterback and successor to Ben Roethlisberger.

Unfortunately, Pickett was underwhelming in his sophomore season, leading to a lot of questions about the future of the position in Pittsburgh.

Team owner Art Rooney II recently talked about Pickett, what he likes about him, and what he’d like to see from the young quarterback moving forward, according to Blitzburgh.

“What I think we need him to be is to just continue to develop as a quarterback,” Rooney said. “Read the defense quickly, get the offense into the best play for a given situation when he comes out of the huddle.”

Clearly, Rooney isn’t out on Pickett just yet, as he seems to be fine with the growing pains for the time being, but it would be safe to say that he’s on a short leash moving forward, with the team’s brass expressing frustration in the team not making any progress from year to year.

The 2024 NFL season could be a make-or-break year for the Steelers, with head coach Mike Tomlin potentially on the hot seat as well as Pickett.

The team’s front office wants results, and a first-round playoff exit doesn’t seem to be cutting it anymore in Pittsburgh.