The Pittsburgh Steelers hired Arthur Smith as their offensive coordinator this offseason after he got fired as the Atlanta Falcons head coach, but before his stint with Atlanta, Smith was one of the best offensive coordinators in football with the Tennessee Titans. Pro Football Focus thinks Smith can recapture that magic with the Steelers, as he was named the fifth-best offensive coordinator in football entering the 2024 season.
“Built on a strong offensive line, which he will have in Pittsburgh, as well, he got the best out of quarterback Ryan Tannehill, whose only seasons with PFF grades over 90.0 came when Smith was his offensive coordinator. During those two seasons, the Titans’ offense generated the fourth-most EPA per play — behind only the Chiefs, Ravens and Packers, all teams led by talented franchise quarterbacks,” Zoltan Buday writes.
With a strong offensive line and run game, Smith has the pieces in place in Pittsburgh to have the same level of success that he had with the Titans. He also has two capable quarterbacks, Justin Fields and Russell Wilson, and both represent an upgrade over what the Steelers had in their room last season. Smith will look to get the most out of both of them.
The biggest upgrade might be Smith himself, as the Steelers were stuck in neutral with Matt Canada running the offense (and occasionally the stick would shift into reverse). It was a bad offense, and Canada was a bad offensive coordinator. There’s no two ways about it. Smith comes in as a proven coordinator, an outside hire, and someone who can ignite a spark in Pittsburgh’s offense. It’s going to be exciting to see how the offense looks early in the season, regardless of who’s at quarterback.
With Pittsburgh committing to build the offensive line during the draft, Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris should have the best offensive line they’ve ever had to run behind. Both of them are capable of breaking out and having a career season, and the two of them could help carry Pittsburgh’s offense. At receiver, George Pickens could receive the lion share of the targets, but in Smith’s offense, Pat Freiermuth will have a big role, too.
Smith was ranked fifth behind Ben Johnson of the Detroit Lions, Todd Monken of the Baltimore Ravens, Bobby Slowik of the Houston Texans and Kellen Moore of the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s a deserving spot for Smith, and he could even end up higher if he turns this Steelers offense into one of the top 15 offenses in the league. If that winds up being the case, the Steelers should be a playoff team, and Smith will deserve a lot of credit.
