The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense has been a sore spot for the team for a few years now under former offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s system. This offseason has brought significant changes, including a new system, new quarterbacks, new receivers, and new offensive linemen. While it may be tempting to think that things can only improve from what they had previously, is that something that can be taken for granted?
One of the most critical questions that the Steelers will have to answer is how OC Arthur Smith’s new system will work with the two quarterbacks they added this offseason. Some of the quick, timing routes that Smith likes to use out of pre-snap motion aren’t exactly the forte of either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields.
“They hired Arthur Smith from the Falcons, who was 14th in 2023 in terms of motion at the snap, but all the way back in ’22, he was sixth,” Yahoo Sports’ Matt Harmon said on a clip from the Fantasy Football Show posted on YouTube. “I can’t imagine the quarterbacks are gonna maximize this. Maybe it just matters more with the run game.”
Wilson’s deep passing game has always been his bread and butter. He can extend plays, allow routes to develop, and he throws one of the prettiest deep balls in the league. Where he has struggled, and part of his issue with the Denver Broncos, is with rhythm passing.
“The timing-based nature of this at the quarterback position—is that Russell Wilson?” said Underdog Fantasy’s Josh Norris. “These offenses that we talk about, it really is, at the snap [get to] landmarks, spaces, cavities, all this stuff pushing coverages off creating these areas. Do we trust Russell Wilson to throw in the timing of that window? No.
“So it’s a big, fat I don’t know on this team, and I have no clue how it’s gonna unfold. What I am most excited for is an Arthur Smith-prescribed run game.”
The Steelers traded Diontae Johnson and he excelled in the area of timing-based routes, as he was adept at getting open in a hurry. George Pickens is now the unquestioned WR1, and that is a dimension of his game that he really hasn’t displayed before. He is going to need to show a lot of growth in that area in his third season.
The run game really will be the key to the whole system. It was in 2023, and it needs to expand to take on an even larger role in 2024. If the Steelers can force defenses to stack the box and stay in their base packages, that is when they will be able to find one-on-one opportunities for guys like Pickens. They can also turn to play-action passing—if the run game is working as expected—to draw safeties and linebackers in toward the line of scrimmage and take advantage of Wilson’s deep ball.
But this is all just theorized based on Smith’s prior history as a head coach and offensive coordinator. We, of course, do not know for sure to what extent he will tailor his system to the available personnel. What we do know, from the words of Mike Tomlin, is that the Steelers want to “roll people” this year and be one of the most physical offenses in the league. If they can achieve that goal, the rest should take care of itself.
