The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator search is over. Arthur Smith is their guy. Time will tell if he’s the right hire, and ultimately, the results will tell that story. If the Steelers put points on the board and win games, it’ll be a genius move. If their struggles continue, fire up those College Gameday signs. That’s life in the NFL.
One thing we can conclude is the team’s process. Only their second outside coordinator (offense or defense) hire since 2001, this is something of new ground for Pittsburgh. They usually prefer to internally promote instead of bringing in a fresh face. But one felt needed this time around.
Let’s recap the team’s process from start to finish. Wednesday morning, I’ll have an in-depth breakdown of Smith.
The Catalyst – Firing Matt Canada
Pittsburgh made the questionable decision to bring Matt Canada back for 2023, doing so likely for continuity’s sake and not wanting Kenny Pickett to restart in his second year. It was the wrong move. Despite an impressive preseason and high expectations, the Steelers faltered again. In ten games under Canada, Pittsburgh’s offense averaged 15 points per game.
Things bottomed out in Week 11 against the Cleveland Browns. In a key divisional game facing a rookie in Dorian Thompson-Robinson, making his second start, the Steelers punted nine times and managed only 249 yards of total offense in a 13-10 loss. Pickett didn’t throw for more than 100 yards until the final snap of the game. With a locker room on the brink of fracture, the Steelers did a franchise first. Fire a coordinator mid-season, canning Canada on Tuesday morning. RBs Coach Eddie Faulkner served as Interim Offensive Coordinator while QBs Coach Mike Sullivan became play caller, leaning on his previous stops as a coordinator.
The offense didn’t improve until Mason Rudolph was given the keys, putting 34 and 30 points on the board in his first two games.
The Statement – Mike Tomlin’s Year-End Presser
The offensive coordinator search was among the largest questions in Mike Tomlin’s annual year-end press conference. What would the team look for? Tomlin offered more detail than expected. He immediately ruled out internal candidates Faulkner and Sullivan, promising an out-of-house hire.
From there, he said he valued and preferred coordinators with previous experience, and a quarterback background would be “significant.” With that, the Steelers’ coordinator search was on.
The Candidates
Zac Robinson – Los Angeles Rams Passing Game Coordinator
Thomas Brown – Former Carolina Panthers Offensive Coordinator
Jerrod Johnson – Houston Texans Quarterbacks Coach
Arthur Smith – Former Atlanta Falcons Head Coach
It took until the following Monday from Tomlin’s presser for the first name to be mentioned in Pittsburgh’s search. An interview request with Los Angeles Rams’ Passing Game Coordinator Zac Robinson. An interview that never took place, a popular man who followed Raheem Morris to Atlanta, replacing the fired Arthur Smith.
Former Carolina Panthers’ OC Thomas Brown was the first official interview on Wednesday, January 24. Also, from the Sean McVay tree, he was a former Georgia and NFL running back who became a coordinator in 2023. But he only held play-calling duties for roughly half the year, three weeks before Carolina head coach Frank Reich was fired, and for the duration after, with disappointing results, though the Panthers’ offense gave him little to work with. Still, he was thought of highly prior to 2023 and still drew league interest this cycle, also interviewing with the Tennessee Titans.
Johnson could be viewed as the most exciting potential hire, at least of the interviews that actually took place. He spoke with the team two days after Brown on the 26th. Like Robinson, his name has been in demand this cycle for his work with Texans’ QB C.J. Stroud, already one of the league’s top quarterbacks coming off a stellar rookie season. Johnson was also a former QB who spent time in Steelers’ camp in 2012, working as the team’s fourth-string quarterback and lining up wherever he could get reps, once ‘R2’ on the kick coverage team during a simulated drill. But Johnson lacked any play-calling experience, likely hurting his chances.
Smith was the third and final candidate, interviewing Sunday just before the team flew down for this year’s Senior Bowl. He struggled through three tough years in Atlanta, not putting up points or wins, before being fired after 2023. His brightest days came as the Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator, leading two successful years with strong running games and a revived QB, Ryan Tannehill.
As has become the norm in coaching staff searches, the Steelers didn’t interview many people. In replacing Randy Fichtner in 2021, they showed interest in only three names: Pep Hamilton, Hue Jackson, and Canada. This time, they only interviewed three individuals. They have a literal shortlist and stick to it compared to other teams whose interview lists reach double-digits. It’s worth pointing out that the Steelers’ GM search was an exception, a comprehensive search of more than 15 men, even though an in-hire promotion was always likely.
Given that Pittsburgh harped on valuing (though not requiring) experience and only interviewed one person who truly fit that in Smith, the search felt…empty.
As Art Rooney II informed the media Monday, the hire would be Mike Tomlin’s choice.
The Hire
Smith was reported to be the hire Tuesday, agreeing to a three-year contract with the Steelers. That would put him in Pittsburgh through the 2026 season. Given the Steelers’ distaste for firing coordinators, Canada being the rare exception, Smith is poised to stay. Unless, of course, he does such a good job that he gets hired to be a head coach again.
Outside hires in Pittsburgh are rare, but Smith follows suit with Todd Haley. Fired as the Kansas City Chiefs head coach, he landed on his feet as the Steelers’ OC. Both outside hires came at key points. Haley to transition Ben Roethlisberger from scrambler to pocket passer, Smith to try and develop Kenny Pickett in a make or break year.
The Future
Will Smith succeed? Who knows. There are always elements outside of a coordinator’s control, and injuries loom as the hidden but expected factor. He isn’t the most exciting hire, but he fits what the team was looking for. What changes will come next? Will there be a new quarterback Coach? Will Mike Munchak reunite with the team? We’ll see, though I don’t expect sweeping coaching staff changes, with the possible exception of the QB coach.
As we wrote earlier in the month, this is a hire Pittsburgh has to get right and has to get right quickly. Smith just arrived, but the pressure’s already on.
