In two seasons as an offensive coordinator with the Tennessee Titans and then three seasons as the head coach and play-caller with the Atlanta Falcons, new Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has worked with a number of quarterbacks — all different.
With the Titans in 2019 and 2020, Smith was able to get the most out of Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill was a veteran quarterback who had plenty of starting experience prior to working with Smith, who took off in a big way, throwing for 55 touchdowns in two seasons. Then, in Atlanta, Smith worked with the likes of Matt Ryan, Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, and Taylor Heinicke. However, he struggled to get the same type of production that he got at the position from Tannehill.
Those struggles from the likes of Mariota, Ridder, and Heinicke in the last two years ultimately led to Smith losing his job in Atlanta, leading to him winding up in Pittsburgh, a team that has a serious need for better quarterback play out of third-year veteran Kenny Pickett.
In a 1-on-1 sit-down that published Saturday morning with Steelers.com’s Missi Matthews, Smith revealed exactly what he looks for in the quarterback position in his offensive scheme.
“I’ve been fortunate. I’ve worked with a lot of different quarterbacks at different parts of their careers. Like with Ryan Tannehill, he was at a different part of his career than Matt Ryan was when I got to work with Matt. And worked with young quarterbacks as well. And it’s exciting to hear the way that this offense is built with a lot of young players and obviously where Kenny Pickett’s at going into his third year,” Smith said regarding the quarterbacks he’s worked with. “Playing with a young quarterback, [it’s about] being efficient, being able to get the ball out and making the smart decisions. Getting the ball in the playmaker’s hands and taking care of the football.
“And a lot of things that come up in the responsibility of playing quarterback in the National Football League, because there’s pressure situations, they happen all game and having command of those situations. And ultimately putting the ball in the end zone, whether it’s through the air, handoff or running it, but there’s a lot on him, and there’s a natural evolution that happens with the quarterback.”
In his stops with Tennessee and Atlanta, Smith has worked with quite a few different quarterbacks. Tannehill was that mobile guy who could make plays with his legs, throw on the move with great accuracy, and dial up the deep ball when necessary. He thrived under center, too. In Atlanta, though, Matt Ryan was near the end of his career and wasn’t anywhere close to as mobile as Tannehill, didn’t throw on the run all that well, and was largely a shotgun quarterback at that time.
Smith had some early success with Mariota in 2022 with the Falcons but ultimately pulled the plug on the experience and turned to Ridder, who struggled mightily. Then he tried to lean on Ridder and Heinicke last season. At times, the quarterback duo had success, but ultimately they just couldn’t make enough plays despite the talent around them.
Now, he’ll try and get the best out of Pickett or maybe veteran Mason Rudolph, assuming he re-signs in free agency. Maybe even an outside free agent or a young draft pick, too.
In Smith’s view, a young quarterback needs to play efficiently, get the ball out quickly, and make smart decisions. That sounds a bit like Pickett, doesn’t it? He played relatively efficiently and made smart decisions, avoiding turnovers. Pickett threw just four interceptions on the season and had just seven turnover-worthy throws in 2023. In his two-year career, Pickett has just 19 turnover-worthy throws.
He held onto the ball a bit too long at times, finishing the season with a 2.73-second Time To Throw, according to Pro Football Focus. But those numbers match up with what Tannehill did in Tennessee in 2019 and 2020. In 2019, Tannehill averaged 2.91 TTT. In 2020, Tannehill cut that number to 2.61 seconds. He also had just seven turnover-worthy throws in 2019, but that number increased to 22 in 2020 as the Titans’ offense exploded and took more chances downfield in the passing game.
Pickett still has a ton of work to do and needs to develop in a hurry. Smith doesn’t exactly have a great track record of developing quarterbacks, but the good news is that some of Pickett’s best traits align with what Smith looks for in a quarterback in his scheme. Hopefully, they’re a good match together.
