Top Candidates for Next Steelers Offensive Coordinator

Story by Yinzer Crazy Contributor Anthony DiCerbo. Follow him on Twitter @SnarfVenom

Matt Canada is on the hot seat, and it is no secret that yinz want him gone. So it is time to take a look at some of the potential candidates that could replace him as play-caller in Pittsburgh.

As things sit now it appears that Matt Canada will be allowed to finish out this season. Barring a change of heart the team will stick with what they have.

Mike Sullivan

If Canada goes early Sullivan will get the first shot. Sullivan spent a large portion of his career with the New York Giants and has gotten a lot of credit for the work he did with Eli Manning.

Sullivan has been an offensive coordinator before with both the Giants and the Buccaneers, so he has the experience. His stats in those stops vary considerably, and both terms as offensive coordinator had ups and downs. 

Right now though Sullivan is the only in-house candidate. He would allow for a smooth in-season transition if the team decides to move in that direction. He would also get the added bonus of having the rest of the season to showcase his play-calling abilities. Whether they would be a success in Pittsburgh remains to be seen, but like it or not Sullivan will be towards the top of the Steelers’ list whenever they look to move on from Canada, especially if they make a change in-season.

Jason Garrett

Here is a name that most Pittsburgh fans probably don’t associate with the Steelers, but Garrett is an offensive coach and he is currently available.

After retiring from his playing days Garrett coached with Nick Saban when he was with the Miami Dolphins as the quarterbacks coach. He then moved to become the offensive coordinator with the Cowboys. After Wade Phillips was fired Garrett was named interim head coach and later earned the job. 

Steeler fans probably remember much of his time in Dallas, but it was largely up and down. After he was fired from the Cowboys he spent some time on Joe Judge’s Giants staff but was later fired. 

Since then Garrett has made his money as a caster and analyst, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get back into coaching. He has shown the ability to lead successful offenses in the past, and getting even close to the success he has found previously would make him a success in Pittsburgh

Byron Leftwich

On the surface, Leftwich would be a surprising name to find on this list, but allow me to explain. 

Ever since their loss to Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, and company, the Buccaneers have been sputtering. They lost three straight and lead the NFC South despite having a losing record.

It’s looking more and more like this will be Tom Brady’s last go in the NFL and if that is indeed the case, I would not be surprised to see Tampa Bay clean house in the coaching department and look to start fresh with an entire new regime, one that isn’t Tom Brady focused. 

If that were to happen the Steelers should waste no time in seeing if Ben’s former backup would be interested in returning to the Steel City as a coordinator. 

Duce Staley

Another former Steeler makes the list this time in the form of running back Duce Staley, who like Leftwich, has begun a successful second career in coaching. 

This isn’t exactly the most likely of moves, as he is rather secure as running backs coach and assistant head coach with the Detroit Lions and Dan Campbell, who just received some confidence from ownership.

With that being said, some familiarity already exists. Staley finished out his career with the Steelers and has some experience working with Andy Weidl from his time in Philadelphia as their running backs coach. 

It is certainly debatable if becoming the offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh would even be a promotion from being the assistant head coach in Detroit, but if he is interested in the position, the Steelers should definitely come calling. 

Brian Hartline

We’ve officially entered “throwing spaghetti at the wall” territory here, and I fully accept that. The Steelers offense is not fun, so I’m going to have some fun here. 

For those who don’t remember Brian Hartline from his playing days, allow me to refresh your memory. Hartline played receiver in the NFL for 7 seasons, most of which were with the Dolphins. 

After his retirement, he joined the Ohio State coaching staff as an assistant, and was eventually named the interim receivers coach after the firing of controversial figure Zach Smith. 

The position was named permanent, and ever since he has excelled in the role. In 2021 the title of passing game coordinator was added to his role at Ohio State. 

Hartline is a big reason why Ohio State has recently turned into a wide receiver factory. Just this past year they had two receivers go in the first round and the trend doesn’t show any signs of slowing down with Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Marvin Harrison Jr. both coming down the line. 

Are the Steelers interested in him? Is he interested in the Steelers? I have no clue. If the question is “Do I think he could do the job?” my answer would be yes. The NFL is always looking for the next young offensive coach to take the league by storm, and on paper at least, Brian Hartline fits the bill. 

Nathaniel Hackett

It is not often that a current head coach finds himself on a list for a different team’s coordinator job, but that is where Hackett finds himself nine weeks into the season.

Right now, Hackett is the head coach of the Denver Broncos, but they are sputtering. Expectations were high after his hiring away from the Packers and the trade for Russell Wilson, so far though, neither is really working out for Denver. 

Prior to the Broncos game in London against the Jaguars, there were reports coming out that Hackett was coaching for his job. A narrow four-point win has kept him in Denver for now, but coming out of the bye week if Denver continues to struggle it would not be surprising to see Hackett let go from his post with the Broncos. 

If that were to happen Hackett would be another name the Steelers should be interested in for a potential opening. He has been the offensive coordinator for the Bills, Jags, and Packers previously. His value with Aaron Rodgers was evident as the departure of Hackett and Davante Adams has left Green Bay’s offense struggling. 

If he does get fired, Pittsburgh would be a nice spot for Hackett to rebuild his value as a coordinator after a rough (so far) head coaching stint. 

Frank Reich

When I was originally compiling this list Reich was in the same boat as Hackett, but following his semi-surprising firing Reich is available right now. 

Following his playing days, Reich immediately went into coaching and worked his way up the ladder. He was the offensive coordinator for the Chargers and Eagles before he was hired for the Colts job. Reich was the Eagles offensive coordinator for their Super Bowl win against the Patriots.

With the Colts Reich saw a lot of different results, winning with Andrew Luck at the helm, struggling with Jacoby Brissett, returning to the playoffs with Philip Rivers, and then collapsing in the final week of the season with Carson Wentz (Steeler fans are still thankful for that one). 

Adding Reich would bring more head coaching and Superbowl-winning experience, and a level of established offensive success to the team. 

Conclusion

The Steelers offense is bad. If the current trend continues it is likely that the Steelers will be looking for a different play-caller to come in and take over in year two of the Kenny Pickett experience. 

This list is all speculation, and I’m sure that there will be plenty of other names out there, but it does give a starting place of sorts for fans to get familiar with some of the options that might be available to the Steelers if and when they decide to make a change.