MyCole Pruitt is one of several players who previously played for Arthur Smith and was imported this offseason. The Pittsburgh Steelers hired Smith as their new offensive coordinator, and now he has a number of his former players with him along for the ride—not by coincidence. There is a mutual interest there, which should be encouraging, as it indicates a player-friendly offense.
“I’m comfortable with the way Art [Smith] coaches and he’s comfortable the way I play”, Pruitt said, via the team’s website. “We mesh well together, and that’s something that I’m bringing to this team. I’m familiar with that. And being able to help guys along, if that’s necessary”.
Now 32 years old, MyCole Pruitt has spent most of his career working with Smith in a variety of capacities. Pruitt first encountered as his tight ends coach when he joined the Tennessee Titans in 2018. Then Smith became his offensive coordinator for the next two seasons a year later. Then, he eventually followed him to Atlanta in 2022 and played under him again for the past two years.
Pittsburgh marks the third different stop for Pruitt and Smith working together—again, not by coincidence. “It was a big part of the reason I decided to come here”, he said. “We just wanted to extend on some of the success we had in the past”.
Under Smith, Pruitt was about a 25-snaps-a-game guy, or thereabout. He was the type of player that you could ask to do just about anything. A more than willing blocker who could catch the occasional ball, he was just the sort of role player Smith coveted.
In reality, MyCole Pruitt doesn’t have a guaranteed roster spot in Pittsburgh. Even with Arthur Smith’s presence, they already have a crowded tight end room, retaining four from last season. Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, Connor Heyward, and Rodney Williams are all back, and fitting all five would be a challenge.
But he does have a legitimate chance to make the team, and knowing the offense won’t hurt him any. He is a willing participant in helping the roster to integrate into Smith’s system, of which he has experienced many iterations. That is part of the function Pruitt serves right now, but he can be an asset when it’s time to play games.
Smith’s offenses hinge greatly upon the play of the tight ends. From that perspective, one can imagine carrying four or more at the position. Players like Pruitt and Heyward also offer you some versatility, as they can do different things, including lining up in the backfield.
MyCole Pruitt has logged 2,353 offensive snaps during his NFL career. Most of those snaps have come with Arthur Smith running the offense in Tennessee and Atlanta. How many snaps will he play under Smith with the Pittsburgh Steelers?
