The Pittsburgh Steelers wrapped up their offensive coordinator search on Monday by reportedly hiring former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith. While the reaction to the move on social media has been mixed, Alex Kozora broke down everything you need to know about Smith in an article yesterday, and the general consensus from people within the game is that Pittsburgh made a good move.
Former NFL DE Chris Long thinks Smith is a good hire for the Steelers. Breaking the move down on his Green Light Podcast, he said that Smith can get the most out of Pittsburgh’s run game while discussing the outside-the-box nature of the hire by the Steelers.
“Arthur Smith is a little bit outside the mold there. I also think he’s a little bit outside the mold because this is the first chance they’ve taken on a dude since I’ve basically been out of the league. And by dude, I mean a guy with a reputation,” Long said. “Todd Haley was kind of the last guy, they’ve cycled through a couple guys since Todd, including Matt Canada, and they kind of felt like half-measures. This feels like taking a chance, and I like it. Having another head coach in the building, Tomlin doesn’t need any help, but it’s a net positive. It can’t hurt to have that experience.”
Smith said he’s not going to hold Smith’s tenure in Atlanta against him because being a head coach and play caller isn’t an easy task. Instead, he’s focusing in on Smith’s work prior to Atlanta when he was the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans.
“I’m not gonna judge Arthur Smith’s time in Atlanta in a manner where I’m gonna hold it against him. I’ve seen him call plays successfully in the NFL. In 2019 and 2020, he got the best out of [QB Ryan] Tannehill, he got the best out of Derrick Henry,” Long said. “Seeing those results makes me feel good about what they could get out of the guys in Pittsburgh.”
He said Atlanta’s offensive linemen really took to Smith, and while they do have guys like Chris Lindstrom and Jake Matthews, Long doesn’t believe it was the most talented group. He thinks that Pittsburgh’s offensive line should excel under Smith.
“They love that guy,” Smith said about the Atlanta offensive line. “I don’t think Atlanta is the most talented group up front. He’ll get the most out of that [Steelers] group. And he’ll get the most out of that run game.”
Long speculated that Smith’s use of play-action could make Kirk Cousins a target in Pittsburgh, and he wonders if the Smith hiring is a sign that Pittsburgh may go after another quarterback. Pittsburgh was 31st in play-action usage last season whereas Smith has almost always been top-five in play-action as a play caller.
While Pittsburgh didn’t use a ton of play-action, Kenny Pickett hasn’t been bad in play-action, provided he’s the guy the Steelers roll with next season. I don’t think they’re going to spend the money to go out and get Cousins, and any other veteran free agent, like Russell Wilson, would likely want assurances he’s going to start. Pittsburgh doesn’t seem set on moving on from Pickett yet, so it would be a bit of a surprise if that’s the route the Steelers take.
The overall idea that the Smith hire is good for Pittsburgh is one I agree with. Too much is made out of him not using his weapons enough in Atlanta, and a lot of it is blowing over from the fantasy football community. As an owner who had Bijan Robinson on his team, I was disappointed with his season, but it’s not as if Smith didn’t get him the ball. He had 272 touches his rookie season, and while a lot of people point to Tyler Allgeier receiving 204 touches, let’s not forget that Allgeier was coming off a 1,035-yard season on the ground under Smith. With a two-headed monster of Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris in Pittsburgh, Smith is going to utilize the run game and take it to another level.
It’s also worth noting that Tannehill’s best seasons came under Smith, as Long noted, and while I think 2019-2020 Tannehill might be Pickett’s absolute ceiling, if Smith can get improved quarterback play, the Steelers’ offense is going to be better. If Pittsburgh can execute Smith’s concepts, the offense is going to look a lot better than it did last season. It might not be the same personnel as the team is going to add and make some improvements too, but I think this hire is the type that the Steelers needed to make and it’s one that should pay dividends.
