Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger was surprised by the firing of offensive coordinator Matt Canada, but not for performance reasons.

Former Steelers quarterback and future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger was surprised by the firing of offensive coordinator Matt Canada. However, mostly because it was out of character for the Pittsburgh Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin, who rarely makes such changes in a season.

“Well, I was surprised,” Roethlisberger said. “That’s very uncharacteristic of the Steelers. I wouldn’t have expected that in the middle of the season. Very uncharacteristic.”

Roethlisberger is right. Head coach Tomlin is known for his loyalty, and when the Steelers bye week passed with little to no changes, most fans assumed Pittsburgh would wait until the offseason to make a change.

But a loss to the Cleveland Browns was enough for Tomlin to give Canada the boot and replace him with Mike Sullivan as playcaller. According to the Pro Football Network, the Steelers were particularly concerned about the lack of development of second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett under Canada. That was the last straw that broke the camel’s back.

Kenny Pickett: No development

“The biggest problem was the lack of development of second-year QB Kenny Pickett, who had “an outstanding offseason,” according to team sources. But when the season began, sources said from reviewing game records, Pickett’s arm strength issues resurfaced and he “wasn’t driving the ball down the field” and “wasn’t playing with a lot of confidence,” according to NFL insider Adam Kapler.

If Canadas presence affected Pickett’s confidence, or at least held him back a bit, the Steelers made the right decision. Now, in the midst of his second year, the pressure is on to prove he was right to select him in the first round in the 2022 draft.