The Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to name former Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith as their next offensive coordinator after completing a brief search under head coach Mike Tomlin.
He was selected by the Steelers from a panel of three interviewers, including former Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown and Houston Texans quarterback Jerrod Johnson. Smith met Tomlin’s demands in his season-ending press conference. He was an outside recruiter and previously served as an offensive coordinator, and his resume shows he can implement his offensive philosophy with Steelers players. It’s already on the list. His underwhelming performance in Atlanta, which spanned three 7-10 seasons and criticized the efforts of his best players, immediately angered some Steelers fans.
However, the Steelers have shown they value Smith’s game experience over his experience in Atlanta and are willing to be the first team to deal Smith to help the offense moving forward. I think we have an idea of how we want to attack it. Made for the Steelers.” owner and president Art Rooney II said Monday. “Lead.” Because drastic changes cannot happen overnight, you need to be a reliable coordinator who can stick to your schedule and ensure success. “Someone who can work with this team and deliver what has been built here in terms of the team and some of the skills that we have and that we believe in. I think that’s what we’re looking for.”Smith’s education and training under Steelers alumni Mike Munchak, Ken Whisenhunt and Mike Mularkey puts him in a good position to round out the roster with a potentially dominant tandem, especially when paired with an above-average offensive line and a capable defender. , even if his time in Atlanta doesn’t really reflect that.
In Atlanta and Tennessee, Smith’s offenses consistently had the best offense in the league. Backed by one of the NFL’s best running backs in Derrick Henry, the Titans averaged 153.5 rushing yards and 5.1 rushing yards per game in Smith’s first two seasons, second only to the Baltimore Ravens in two years. The Titans averaged 2.02 yards after contact and had 133 punts of 10 yards, both good for second in the league.But Smith found success on the field even without Henry, as Tyler Allgaier, the Falcons’ 2022 fifth-round pick, rushed for 1,035 yards in his rookie season.
That year, Smith’s Falcons ranked third in rushing yards and 10th in touchdowns. That’s a significant improvement over Atlanta’s 31st in 2021 and Smith’s first season. And in 2023, the Falcons ranked 9th in points per game and 15th in rushing yards.
Meanwhile, the Steelers ranked 13th in rushing yards and 11th in 2023. In his first two seasons in the NFL, Allgaier was second to Henry in yards after contact, averaging 2.32 meters per transport. That bodes well for Naji Harris and Jaylen Warren, who use yards after contact as a key part of their technique. Rooney even said he wanted an attack based on ground warfare.”We have two top quarterbacks in Nagy and Jaylen, and I think they, along with an improved offensive line, can be the foundation for future success,” Looney said Monday.
But Smith will have to find a more efficient way to deploy the running back tandem than his system does in 2023. In his final season with the Falcons, Smith was often criticized for his inconsistent use of first-round running back Bijan Robinson. While undoubtedly talented, Robinson fell short of a 1,000-carry season and had just two 100-yard games in the first month of the season. Robinson played 68 percent of the snaps, but had just 214 rush attempts and 86 targets.
Meanwhile, Allgeier played 32 percent of the snaps and had 186 rushing attempts and 23 targets.Rooney noted that the two defensive systems helped Harris, who finished the season with the first 100-yard game of his career. “I feel better now than I did a year or even two years ago,” Rooney said. “I feel good when a two-headed monster, so to speak, comes running at me. “I think two very talented quarterbacks with different styles, when paired with the right offensive line, can set the stage for future success.”Smith’s scheme benefits the Steelers’ defense and passing game.
When it comes to multiple tight end games on the field from 2021 through 2023, the Falcons have the most (1,549), while the Steelers rank 22nd fewest (844 games). Pat Fryermuth and 2023 pick Darnell Washington are both on the Steelers’ roster. Smith has been inconsistent in his use of 2021 first-round pick Kyle Pitts during Pitts’ 1,000-yard campaign, but Smith’s approach should encourage more involvement from all of the team’s tight ends.
