The Pittsburgh Steelers’ hire of Arthur Smith is one that’s been almost universally praised in football circles around the league, and former NFL general manager and current analyst Michael Lombardi is the latest person who thinks Smith is a good fit in Pittsburgh. On his show The Lombardi Line on VSiN, he laid out why he thinks Smith will succeed in Pittsburgh.
“You made a really good hire in Arthur Smith. I know that’s not going to be a popular conversation a lot of people are gonna have, but you made a good hire,” Lombardi said. “Because he fits exactly what you want to do with creativity. He can throw the ball when you need to throw it, he’s got a drop-back pass game and he can run the ball. And he’s a very good run-game guy. So I think what you gotta do is rely on him. And rely on the fact that you are going to build the team around the quarterback.”
The Steelers plan on bringing in competition for Kenny Pickett this offseason, whether that’s bringing back Mason Rudolph or adding an outside free agent like Ryan Tannehill. Whoever wins the job will have to be the catalyst for the offense. Smith has proven he can build a run game, and Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren should excel again next season under Smith. But not having a lot of production at the quarterback position has hindered the Steelers and is why they can’t seem to get out of the first round of the playoffs. With Smith now calling the shots on offense, that’s the biggest thing that needs to change.
Smith was able to get the most out of Tannehill while they were in Tennessee, and he’s an upgrade over Matt Canada. Even if Pickett is under center, it would be a surprise if he wasn’t at least a little bit better with Smith as his OC next season. But if he doesn’t show enough improvement, he’s going to be done as Pittsburgh’s starter. Smith will be able to get the most out of the run game, which could open things up for the pass, and given his success with quarterbacks during his time as an offensive coordinator he’s a natural fit to turn around Pittsburgh’s passing attack while also keeping its smashmouth football tradition in place.
With the Steelers’ rushing attack, they don’t need elite quarterback play to win games. But they certainly need better quarterback play than they’ve gotten, and if Smith can help the Steelers improve in that area while still getting the most out of Warren and Harris, they’ll be a better football team next season.
