Mike Tomlin offers cryptic criticism on Steelers offense

The Pittsburgh Steelers are likely out to find a successor to veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the offseason. Although the 18-year vet has not officially announced his retirement, all signs point to him not being under center for the Steelers to start the 2022 campaign. But with Roethlisberger gone, does that mean the Steelers will move on from offensive coordinator Matt Canada, and usher in a new offensive philosophy with their next quarterback?

Canada took over the reins of the Steelers offense pick off the 2021 season. And under him, the offense struggled to formulate any kind of consistency, finishing off the season ranked 21 in points scored.

As Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin addressed the media and a press conference on Tuesday, he was his typical tight-lipped self, not revealing too many details into the Steelers offseason plans. But he did plant a seed of confidence in his offensive coordinator and indicated that he will be around for at least another season.

“I’m optimistic about Matt and what he’s capable of doing. I acknowledge that we took a step back. There are some obvious, tangible reasons why that occurred. I’m not going to get into all of that. I’m not going to seek comfort in that. We’ve got to be better. We intend to be. And that’s going to require a lot of planning and work, players and coaches.” Tomlin said, via Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

ESPN on Steelers offseason moves

Now that the NFL regular season is over and we are at least through the wild card round of the playoffs, there is a clear understanding for most teams on what they need to do in the offseason. Some teams need to retool on offense, while others need to revamp their defense. And a few more definitely could use a complete overhaul of their front office management.

The team over at ESPN has put together a brief look at what teams around the NFL need to do in the offseason. For the Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s not just as simple as finding an heir to the relinquished throne of QB1 by Ben Roethlisberger.

“Quarterback is the obvious answer, but it goes beyond that. The Steelers not only need to find the successor to Ben Roethlisberger, they also need to find a line that can both protect him and open up the run game for 2021 first-round pick Najee Harris. There were flashes of success on the ground this season, but the Steelers still ranked 28th in the league in both total rushing yards and rushing yards per game. The future of the organization will largely be dictated by the next Steelers quarterback, but who they put in front of him matters just as much.” wrote Brooke Pryor.