The Pittsburgh Steelers are hiring Arthur Smith to be their next offensive coordinator. Smith, the former Atlanta Falcons coach, will replace the duo of Interim OC Eddie Faulkner and QBs Coach Mike Sullivan as the team’s permanent offensive coordinator in 2024. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tweeted the news moments ago.
As of now, Faulkner and Sullivan remain on the Steelers’ staff. Sullivan has reportedly received at least two interview requests for coordinator jobs elsewhere, leaving his status with the team in doubt for next season.
Smith interviewed for the position on Sunday, shortly before the team headed down to Mobile, Ala., for the 2024 Senior Bowl. A run-minded coach, Smith is best known for his two years as the Tennessee Titans’ offensive coordinator in 2019 and 2020. There, he led one of the league’s most potent rushing attacks, second over that span in carries, yards, yards per carry, while finishing first in rushing touchdown. Behind RB Derrick Henry, the Titans finished top 10 in scoring both years.
Smith was tabbed as the Falcons’ head coach for the 2021 season. In three years in that role, Smith went 7-10 each season, never making the playoffs. Atlanta collapsed down the stretch of the 2023 season, losing four of its last five games, the last two in blowout fashion.
While the Falcons maintained their run-heavy approach, leading the league in attempts in 2022 and finishing third in 2023, Smith’s success didn’t follow him from Tennessee. Twice, Atlanta ranked 26th in points per game. In 2022, the Falcons finished 15th. His offense came under criticism for not getting the ball to his top weapons enough, TE Kyle Pitts and RB Bijan Robinson, and the team struggled to field a deep group of wide receivers. Like Pittsburgh, Atlanta struggled to find stability under center with three quarterbacks starting at least four games in each of the last two years.
Under Smith, the Falcons utilized heavy personnel, a philosophy that could match the Steelers’ ideals of playing bully ball and establishing a strong running game.
Smith, 41 and the son of FedEx founder Frederick Smith, played college football as a guard at North Carolina where he was teammates with Willie Parker. After spending a year as a graduate assistant for the Tar Heels, his NFL career began as a defensive quality control coach with Washington in 2007. Hired by Tennessee in 2011, he flipped to the offensive side of the football, serving as the team’s offensive line and tight ends coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2019.
Smith becomes only the second outside hire for offensive coordinator the Steelers have made since 2001. He joins Todd Haley, hired in 2012, and generally regarded as the best OC the team has had over that span, though Haley also benefitted from a star cast of offensive talent.
Other names the Steelers interviewed for the job were Carolina’s Thomas Brown and Houston’s Jerrod Johnson. At his year-end press conference, Mike Tomlin committed to making an outside hire. He followed through on his word. Time will tell if this is the right decision.
