Arthur Smith, a former head coach of the Falcons, will join the Steelers as offensive coordinator.
Arthur Smith will have another opportunity to lead a faltering offence.
Smith, who was fired by the Atlanta Falcons after three seasons as their head coach, is set to take over as the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to a source cited by NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero on Tuesday.
Since starting in 2007, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has had five full-time offensive coordinators. The 41-year-old Smith will be the fifth. Three of the preceding four were internal choices. Among them was Matt Canada, the last candidate, who was fired in the 2023 campaign.
Smith is going to Pittsburgh with the intention of improving not only the offence of the Steelers but also his standing as an offensive weapon. Smith became the head coach of the Falcons after he successfully restored Ryan Tannehill’s career and oversaw the NFL’s second-best offence while serving as the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee
Titans. Nevertheless, after three consecutive 7-10 seasons, he was fired by Atlanta primarily due to his incapacity to manage a quarterback of the future.
In 2023, the Steelers’ offence scored 28th points. Falcons led by Smith were 26th.
In 2024, a major plot point will undoubtedly centre on how much Smith can enhance the offensive onslaught of the Steelers. He will face a Steelers team that is loaded with skill players, just like the Falcons were, including tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington, wide receivers Diontae Johnson and George Pickens, and running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. He’ll also have an impending quarterback question, similar to Atlanta.
The first task on Smith’s list is to assess and strengthen the Steelers’ quarterback position. After a lacklustre second season, Pittsburgh now has 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett back. During the final stretch, veteran backup Mason Rudolph lifted Pittsburgh out of its offensive funk, but he is a free agent.
Smith was an offensive coordinator for the Titans for the final two of his ten seasons, from 2019 to 2020. With the Steelers aiming to improve an offence that has struggled for the majority of the last five seasons, he is back as an AFC offensive coordinator.
