Pittsburgh Steelers fans have been brushing up on their Tennessee Titans history recently thanks to the hiring of Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator; former Titans T Taylor Lewan believes Smith can do the same thing in Pittsburgh he did in Tennessee.
“Arthur Smith in 2019 is the reason why we made it to the AFC Championship”, he told Rich Eisen about the new Steelers coordinator. That was Smith’s first season as offensive coordinator following a promotion, during which he raised the level of the offense.
“A guy like him, he’s gonna walk in there, he’s gonna take pressure off of whoever the quarterback happens to be”, he added, but had another name in mind. “Najee [Harris] is the guy that’s probably gonna smile the most when the season ends about how he’s utilized throughout that offense”.
Harris has rushed for over 1,000 yards in his first three seasons in the NFL. He and Jaylen Warren make up one of the most formidable running back duos in the league. And now they have an offensive coordinator with a track record for success in that department.
The Titans ranked in the top three in rushing in each of Smith’s two seasons as offensive coordinator. With the Atlanta Falcons, he brought them back to a top-10 rushing team as well. They rushed for 2,718 yards during the 2022 season, including 146 yards against the Steelers.
Smith’s Titans squads also ranked in the top 10 in points, including fourth in 2020. Lewan believes he can make the difference in that area for his new team as well. “I think you’re gonna see a lot more points on the board for Pittsburgh”, he said. He added that the Steelers will be “a deadly team this year, just with the addition of Arthur Smith”.
He’s got his work cut out for him. The Steelers scored just 17.9 points per game in 2023, 28th in the league. It was their lowest total per game since the 1998 season, a full quarter of a century ago. And they weren’t much better the year before at 18.1 points per game.
Even Smith’s struggling Falcons offense in 2023 mustered up 18.9 points per game last season, and 21.5 the year before, ranking 15th. But he will need to do much better than that in Pittsburgh if the Steelers are now open to mid-season firings.
Lewan, who talked last offseason about an interest in playing for the Steelers, played nearly his whole career with Smith on the coaching staff. Smith mostly worked with the tight ends during that time before his promotion to offensive coordinator in 2019. But the point is, he knows Smith better than so many other people weighing in the past week.
Now, what does Taylor Lewan’s endorsement of Arthur Smith mean for his tenure was Steelers offensive coordinator? Absolutely nothing, of course. He will succeed or fail on his own merits. But I’ve yet to hear anybody who worked with or under him have a negative thing to say. I suppose that counts for something.
