The Pittsburgh Steelers offense has to be better in 2023. There are no if's, and's or buts about it. 

That starts at the top with offensive coordinator Matt Canada. 

A polarizing topic in the Pittsburgh greater area, he and some of the weapons he coordinates are leaving the first two weeks of practice with growing optimism:

Winners from Week one of Pads

Matt Canada

Despite the prevailing narrative around Matt Canada and his offense, the seasoned offensive coordinator has obviously listened to the critics and opened things up a bit to start camp. 

The variety of passing concepts, the willingness to take deep shots, and the overall tempo and aggressiveness of his play calls are something new in Pittsburgh. 



Part of this is likely due to Pickett's second year in the system as well as his offensive weapons that we will highlight next, but if Canada produces when it matters most, he can swap out his hot seat for a cooling pad. 

George Pickens

Pickens has been the highlight of Steelers camp, seemingly making spectacular grabs every other play, and going viral nearly every day. 



But what's more impressive is the considerable difference in his ability to separate, showing he's out to prove the doubters wrong when it comes to his route running. 



Pickens has been unguardable in Latrobe, whether that be from promising rookies like Joey Porter Jr. or future Hall of Famers like Patrick Peterson. 



I expect that to carry over to the regular season. 

Calvin Austin

Finally healthy after missing the totality of his rookie season, Austin has been an electric feature in what was a static offense prior to his arrival. 



His speed is unmatched on the practice field, and it's unfair when you see him matched up with a linebacker or nickel defender, seemingly taking their lunch money on the regular. 



Hopefully, he will be a feature in this offense, as I don't anticipate many teams being able to match his skill set. 

Alex Highsmith

Despite signing a massive contract extension just days before camp started, Highsmith looks more motivated than ever, something I'm sure the Pittsburgh tackles were expecting, but maybe hoping wouldn't be the case. 

That's because the talented pass rusher has done everything but take it easy on the offensive line, using his patented spin move to put Pittsburgh's pass protectors in a blender. 



Just now approaching his prime and coming off the best season of his career, Highsmith will only elevate in 2023. 

Nick Herbig

The rookie pass rusher from Wisconsin missed practice yesterday with a minor injury, but maybe that was because Pittsburgh wanted to give their offensive line a break from his dubious pass rush plan. 

A smaller but quicker presence on the edge, between his twitch and veteran-like pass rush arsenal, this rookie has gone to work on both guards and tackles throughout training camp. 



He's obviously behind both T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith on the depth chart, but you can never have too many pass rushers and Herbig will serve a valuable role. 

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So, while it's great that Canada and the offense have shown signs of progress, it will all be forgotten if it doesn't translate when games begin in September. Surely Canada knows that, as does his offensive weaponry and QB Kenny Pickett. 

I would expect the offense to be fairly "vanilla" in the preseason, especially with few if any starters playing. That only gives Canada and the Steelers more time to craft their scheme against the first-team defense in practice, gearing them up for the offense's most important season to date. 

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