For the first time in over a decade, the Pittsburgh Steelers went outside their building to hire an offensive coordinator. Officially interviewing three candidates, Arthur Smith became Mike Tomlin’s pick, reported one week ago and officially announced by the team Friday.
Sitting down with KDKA’s Bob Pompeani, Steelers’ President Art Rooney II explained there were two key factors in the hire. Smith’s experience and his comfort with Mike Tomlin.
“Arthur has great experience, obviously, as a coordinator in Tennessee for a few years there,” Rooney told Pompeani Tuesday. “And then as a head coach. That’s great experience. He just seemed like a good fit, and Mike was very comfortable with him.”
Comfort usually isn’t what Tomlin seeks, but it influenced his decision after interviewing just two other candidates throughout the process. Ex-Carolina Panthers’ OC Thomas Brown and Houston Texans’ QB Coach Jerrod Johnson were the other two candidates but had far less experience than Smith.
Smith spent a decade with the Titans, moving up the ranks from assistant to positional coach to becoming the team’s offensive coordinator in 2019. He led Tennessee to two successful offensive years, ranking top-ten in scoring in 2019 and 2020 with some of the league’s most potent rushing attacks. In 2020, RB Derrick Henry became the eighth running back to rush for 2,000 yards in a season.
That success led Smith to become the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach in 2021. Spending three years there, his commitment to the run remained, but the results did not. Twice, the Falcons finished near the bottom in scoring offense while they struggled to generate explosive plays and finish drives in the red zone. Ending each season at 7-10, owner Arthur Blank fired Smith at the end of 2023.
Pittsburgh will look to capture the magic Smith produced in Tennessee. Their visions align, the team and Smith with a focus on running the ball, though Smith’s offenses feature heavier personnel and more outside zone than the Steelers have implemented in past years. As Dave Bryan showed, the Steelers must run the ball to set up their passing game and help Kenny Pickett, assuming he exits the summer as the team’s starter.
Repeating what he told reporters last week, Rooney said Smith was a Mike Tomlin hire.
“It’s Mike’s hire. I mean, look, head coaches hire their coordinators, and to the extent Omar and I could be helpful, we tried to be, but it’s Mike’s hire.”
It won’t be the only hire Tomlin has to make. Pittsburgh’s turned over quite a bit of their coaching staff, parting ways with WRs Coach Frisman Jackson and two offensive assistants while losing a third to the college ranks. Defensively, Assistant DB Coach Gerald Alexander left for the Las Vegas Raiders, meaning his role will have to be replaced. But the hire that matters the most is Smith. Pittsburgh can’t wait around for its offense to find its footing. To rebuild Pickett’s career and to turn the Steelers into a team capable of winning in the playoffs, not just getting there, Smith must prove to be the right choice.
Tomlin’s comfort may have led him to Smith, but without results, it’ll lead to another uncomfortable offseason.
