PITTSBURGH — Matt Canada walked into the lobby at the UPMC Rooney Complex early Tuesday morning just to be greeted by Mike Tomlin. Not long after, Canada walked back to his car, and the Pittsburgh Steelers were officially in the market for the 13th offensive coordinator in team history.
The Steelers stepped outside of their organizational norms by firing an assistant coach in-season. The timing was also a bit bizarre. The team met Monday, and Canada was set to begin the week of game planning when he got to the facility before breakfast Tuesday. Two hours later, the Steelers sent out a statement from Tomlin.
Statement from Coach Mike Tomlin: pic.twitter.com/kitcpLnyqF
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) November 21, 2023
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Running backs coach Eddie Faulkner will take over the coordinator job on an interim basis while quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan will call plays in games. Both will surely be candidates for the job full time. Sullivan was an offensive coordinator with Tampa Bay and the New York Giants. Faulkner was the OC at Ball State from 2009 to 2010.
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“I got no reservations about him being able to do it,” Tomlin said of Faulkner. “He has a real steady voice and demeanor.”
The Steelers will likely take their time hiring a full-time replacement, but whoever it is should have a reputation for working with young quarterbacks. Kenny Pickett’s lack of improvement in his second season was one of the main reasons the Steelers moved on from Canada. With so much invested in Pickett — the team’s fourth QB drafted in Round 1 since 1970 — Pittsburgh needs its coordinator to get the best out of the QB. You can be assured that owner Art Rooney II will be involved in more than just signing off on it.
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Will the Steelers promote from within, bring on a veteran coordinator or take a chance with a relative no-name, up-and-comer? They have never gone with the up-and-comer on either side of the ball, but they have also never fired a coordinator in-season, either. Here are some potential candidates from outside the organization.
Byron Leftwich (age 43), former Buccaneers OC
Leftwich, who is not with an NFL team this season, has made it known to the Steelers — even before Canada was fired — that he’s interested in the job, according to a league source. At worst, Leftwich should get an interview.
Leftwich played four years with the Steelers in two different stints and has a good relationship with Tomlin and the organization. He was a backup to Ben Roethlisberger on the 2008 team that won the Super Bowl. He was regarded as a brilliant offensive mind.
A disciple of Bruce Arians, Leftwich has run the Cardinals’ and Buccaneers’ offenses. He also worked with quarterbacks Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton and later Josh Rosen, Mike Glennon and Sam Bradford in Arizona. He then coached Tom Brady as the offensive coordinator of the Super Bowl LV champion Bucs.
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Leftwich is a young, innovative football mind who has a history with the Steelers, winning championships and working with and developing quarterbacks — almost everything the Steelers should be looking for.
Pep Hamilton (49), former Texans OC
The Steelers interviewed Hamilton in 2021, but it was already expected that Canada (then the Steelers’ QBs coach) was going to be promoted. Hamilton is mostly known for his work with quarterbacks. Along with Andrew Luck (at Stanford and with the Colts), he’s had success with Justin Herbert most recently as the Chargers’ quarterbacks coach in Herbert’s rookie season. He also has coached Chad Pennington, Alex Smith, Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton. Despite being only 49, Hamilton has plenty of experience as a coordinator and a quarterbacks coach.
Kliff Kingsbury (44), former Cardinals head coach
Kingsbury is considered one of the better offensive strategists around, making him a very attractive candidate for an offense that has been mired in predictable schemes since Todd Haley was fired. Kingsbury has a relationship with Tomlin and spent time at Steelers practices in the past, before he became an NFL coach. Kingsbury coached Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray to success in college and then with Murray in the pros.
Kevin Patullo (42), Eagles pass game coordinator
Patullo interviewed for the Jets’ offensive coordinator position last year before losing out to Nathaniel Hackett. He is so well regarded by the Eagles — with whom the Steelers have obvious ties — that they added the title of associate head coach to his name last year. Patullo has helped Jalen Hurts become a Pro Bowl quarterback, but what might interest the Steelers more is what he did with Ryan Fitzpatrick during the 2015 season with the Jets. Fitzpatrick threw a franchise-record 31 touchdowns that season along with 3,905 passing yards.
Zac Robinson (37), Rams QBs coach/pass game coordinator
A disciple of Sean McVay is never a bad idea. Robinson is considered a fast-rising assistant under McVay. He interviewed with the Chargers a year ago for their offensive coordinator position. Zac Taylor, Matt LaFleur and Kevin O’Connell all worked under McVay on offense before becoming head coaches elsewhere and having success. Robinson spent four seasons in the NFL as a player but never appeared in a regular-season game before making the jump to coaching, joining McVay’s staff in 2019.
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Shea Tierney (37), Giants QBs coach
Tierney is considered the offensive coordinator in waiting for the Giants, in line to be promoted as a replacement or successor for Mike Kafka. Tierney worked with Josh Allen during his rise in Buffalo and helped Daniel Jones to his best season in 2022. Tierney was originally hired as an offensive analyst by the Eagles before holding a similar job at Alabama and with the Bills. He followed Brian Daboll from Buffalo to the Giants in 2022. Tierney interviewed for the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator job a year ago.
Frank Reich (61), Panthers head coach
Reich would be a perfect fit for what the Steelers need as a coordinator. The problem is that he is the head coach in Carolina. Even if David Tepper cleans house again — just one year into Reich’s tenure — how likely is it a head coach would be willing to jump right into a lesser position? Reich enjoyed the majority of his success with the Eagles as the offensive coordinator of the 2017 Super Bowl champion with Nick Foles.
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Tee Martin (45), Ravens QBs coach
A former Steelers quarterback, Martin is a rising name on the coordinator list. He has experience calling plays at USC and has helped Lamar Jackson transition seamlessly from OC Greg Roman last year to Todd Monken this year. He might not have enough experience to be a contender for the position, but he is an interesting option.
Eric Bieniemy (54), Commanders OC
Bieniemy is in his first year with the Commanders, but with new ownership and the likelihood that Ron Rivera won’t return in 2024, it could be his only year with the Commanders. He has long been talked about as a head-coaching candidate but hasn’t landed a job. Some questioned how prominent his role was under Andy Reid over several years with the Chiefs. The Commanders’ offense has had a decent year under Bieniemy, and Sam Howell looks like a possible starter beyond 2023. If Bieniemy becomes available, he would be a strong candidate.
Klint Kubiak (36), 49ers passing game coordinator
Kubiak, son of former NFL quarterback and coach Gary Kubiak, is another young up-and-comer. He spent one year as the Vikings’ offensive coordinator before getting caught up in a head-coaching change and losing his job. With the Vikings, Kubiak had an offense featuring Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook and Justin Jefferson and finished 11th in passing, 12th in yards and 14th in scoring.
Other names to consider:
- Jim Caldwell (68), Panthers senior assistant
- Mark Whipple (66), former Nebraska OC
- Darrell Bevell (53), Dolphins passing game coordinator/QBs coach
- Alex Van Pelt (53), Browns OC
- Greg Roman (51), former Ravens OC
- Duce Staley (48), Panthers assistant head coach/RBs coach
- Ken Dorsey (42), former Bills OC
- Bruce Gradkowski (40), XFL’s St. Louis BattleHawks OC
- Luke Getsy (39), Bears OC
- Jake Peetz (39), Rams pass game specialist
- Dan Pitcher (36), Bengals QBs coach
(Photo of Byron Leftwich: Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)
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