The Pittsburgh Steelers made a number of staff changes on the offensive side of the ball this offseason, and it seems as if it was for the better. Mark Kaboly of The Athletic tweeted out on Friday that it’s “quite possible” that Mike Tomlin has the “best collective coaching staff of his career” and wrote that the coaching staff has stood out to him over OTAs and minicamp.
“It is quite possible that Mike Tomlin put together the best collective coaching staff of his career with the group he has now. It was one of the things that stood out to me during OTAs/minicamp.”
It is quite possible that Mike Tomlin put together the best collective coaching staff of his career with the group he has now. It was one of the things that stood out to me during OTAs/minicamp.
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) June 14, 2024
The biggest change in Pittsburgh was bringing in Arthur Smith as the team’s offensive coordinator. Smith had a lot of success in the same role with the Tennessee Titans from 2019-2020, so much so that he was hired as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. While things in Atlanta didn’t work out, Smith’s prowess as an offensive coordinator should elevate the ceiling of Pittsburgh’s offense.
The Steelers also added Tom Arth as the team’s quarterbacks coach and Zach Azzanni as the team’s wide receivers coach. Tomlin praised both Azzanni and Arth for the level of detail and energy they bring, and both should benefit the Steelers in 2024. In particular, Azzanni has a reputation as someone who will get the most out of his players and won’t let guys slack off, and that should benefit a wide receiver room that has had some drama over the past few years.
Quarterback Justin Fields called Arth the most detailed coach he’s ever been around, and that level of detail should benefit Fields and Russell Wilson as they look to get their respective careers back on track in Pittsburgh. The Steelers are going to need good quarterback play to succeed in the AFC North, and Arth seems as if he can work with Fields and Wilson to get the most out of them after they were unceremoniously traded or released by their previous teams.
After going into the last few seasons with the question mark of Matt Canada as the team’s offensive coordinator and general unease over some of the offensive coaching staff, it at least feels better to know that the group assembled this season could be a benefit for the Steelers and not a minus like Canada was. We’ll see how it all plays out, but the staff in place gives some hope that the Steelers can get the most out of their talent in 2024.
