BREAKING NEWS: Steelers New Selected Offensive Coordinator and How he takes Steelers offense to Next Level

Pittsburgh — Following a lengthy search led by head coach Mike Tomlin, the Pittsburgh Steelers are set to select Arthur Smith, the former Atlanta Falcons head coach, as the team’s next offensive coordinator.

The Steelers chose him from a group of three interviewed candidates, including Houston Texans quarterback coach Jerrod Johnson and former Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown.

Smith checked the boxes Tomlin mentioned at his end-of-season press conference: an external hire, past offensive coordinator experience, and a track record that suggests he can implement an offensive philosophy with the talent already on the Steelers’ roster. His dismal spell in Atlanta, which included three consecutive 7-10 seasons marred by criticism over the use of his finest players, enraged some Steelers fans.

But by hiring Smith to take the offence to the next level, the Steelers have shown that they respect his skills as a playcaller beyond what he did in Atlanta — and that they are dedicated to becoming a run-first offence.
“I think we have an idea of what we want the Steelers offence to look like,” team president and owner Art Rooney II said on Monday. ” Begin with that… You can’t entirely overhaul your squad overnight, therefore you’ll need a coordinator who believes they can work with this roster and be successful.

“Someone that believes in that and comes in and can work with this roster, do what’s already there in terms of the roster and some of the skill sets that we have. “I believe that is what we are looking for.”

Though his time in Atlanta doesn’t seem to indicate it, Smith’s body of work — and tutelage under mentors with Steelers ties such as Mike Munchak, Ken Whisenhunt, and Mike Mularkey — shows he’s well-positioned to use a roster with a potentially dominant running back tandem, especially if paired with an above-average offensive line and a serviceable quarterback.

Smith’s offences in Atlanta and Tennessee were consistently among the league’s finest rushing attacks. In Smith’s first two seasons, the Titans averaged 153.5 rushing yards per game and 5.1 rushing yards per carry, trailing only the Baltimore Ravens. The Titans also averaged 2.02 rushing yards after contact and 133 rushes of 10 yards or more, ranking second in the league.

However, Smith had success on the run without Henry, as 2022 Falcons fifth-round pick Tyler Allgeier carried for 1,035 yards in a breakout rookie season. That year, Smith’s Falcons finished third in running yards and tenth in rushing touchdowns, a significant improvement from their 31st and 27th place finishes in 2021, Smith’s first season in Atlanta. In 2023, the Falcons finished ninth in rushing yards per game and 15th in running touchdowns. In 2023, the Steelers placed 13th in rushing yards and 11th in rushing touchdowns.

During his first two seasons in the NFL, Allgeier was second only to Henry in yards after contact, averaging 2.32 yards per run. This is good news for Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, both of whom rely heavily on yards after contact. Rooney has even stated that he prefers an offence that appears to be guided by the ground game.

“I think we have two high-performing running backs in Najee and Jaylen and they, along with an improving offensive line, can be the foundation of success going forward,” Rooney said in a Monday press conference.

Smith, on the other hand, will need to develop a more effective manner to deploy a running back tandem than his current scheme by 2023. Smith was heavily criticized in his final season with the Falcons for his uneven use of first-round running back Bijan Robinson. Despite his undeniable potential, Robinson fell short of 1,000 rushing yards and had only two 100-yard rushing games, both in the first month of the season. Despite playing 68% of offensive snaps, Robinson had only 214 rush attempts and 86 targets. Meanwhile, Allgeier played 32% of the offensive snaps, with 186 rush attempts and 23 targets.

Rooney stated that the two-back scheme helped Harris, who concluded the season with back-to-back 100-yard games for the first time in his career.

“I feel better about it now than I did a year or even two years ago,” Rooney said of the multiple-running back system. “I’m incredibly happy to have a two-headed monster at running back. Two different rushing back styles, both extremely capable, and I believe that with the appropriate offensive line, they may provide a solid basis for future success.

Smith’s method benefits not only the run game, but also the Steelers’ tight ends. From 2021 to 2023, the Falcons had the most plays with multiple tight ends on the field (1,549), while the Steelers had only 844, placing 22nd. The Steelers have Pat Freiermuth and 2023 draft pick Darnell Washington on the roster, and while Smith was inconsistent in his use of 2021 first-round tight end Kyle Pitts following his 1,000-yard rookie season, Smith’s approach might enable each Steelers tight end become more engaged.

One area that is not entirely obvious is Smith’s impact on the quarterback, which Tomlin has stated was a “significant” factor in the coordinator search.

“This game is quarterback-driven, offences are quarterback-driven,” Tomlin went on to say, “and so their expertise in that area is a significant component of the search from my perspective.”

Before taking over in Atlanta, Smith oversaw two of quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s greatest seasons. Not only did the Titans reach the AFC Championship Game in 2019, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs, but Tannehill was named to his only Pro Bowl with a career-high 9.6 yards per attempt and 13.6 yards per completion. Tannehill passed for 55 touchdowns to 13 touchdowns in the two years under Smith, as part of an offence that averaged 26.4 points per game and 379.9 yards per game, ranking sixth and seventh in the league, respectively. During those two seasons, the Titans’ average yards per play was 6.1, trailing just the Chiefs’ 6.3.

Henry also excelled throughout that time, rushing for 1,540 and 2,027 yards, respectively, and winning AP Offensive Player of the Year honours in 2020.

Though Smith replicated some of his success on the ground in Atlanta, he did not have the same success with his quarterbacks. After releasing Matt Ryan after the 2021 season, the Falcons drafted Desmond Ridder two rounds after the Steelers selected Kenny Pickett. Ridder, who started four games as a rookie after replacing Marcus Mariota, had a poor second season and was benched twice for Taylor Heinicke during his 17-interception 2023 season. Drake London, a wide receiver, likewise did not improve in his second season, catching only 69 passes for 905 yards and two touchdowns following 72 grabs for 866 yards and four scores his rookie year.

One of the key tasks for the incoming offensive staff will be to get the most out of Pickett and to use difference-making throwing talent like wide receiver George Pickens. Smith didn’t do much in Atlanta to imply he’s a quarterback whisperer, but the Steelers still have a few choices. They may choose to hire a good position coach capable of developing Pickett, such as Johnson, who they interviewed for the offensive coordinator post and is a key component of C.J. Stroud’s success, or they could hire Tannehill as a short-term fix at the position. Tannehill is a free agent, and given his success in Smith’s scheme, he may help the Steelers’ offence as Pickett develops. However, the Steelers have voiced a desire to bring Mason Rudolph back into the picture after he demonstrated an ability to lift the offence in the final four games of the season.

With the team looking for its first playoff win since 2016, Smith’s hiring is one of Tomlin’s most important decisions in his 17-season tenure. The Steelers have a championship-caliber defence and talented players on offence. It is up to Smith to bring them all together and enhance quarterback play in ways that his predecessor could not.

“I do feel that we’re closer this year at this stage of the game than we were at this point last year,” he remarked. “I believe we have a core group of guys that we can compete with. I believe the most important thing we need is excellent play at quarterback.”