When the Pittsburgh Steelers hired Arthur Smith as their new offensive coordinator this offseason, he was coming off a rough time as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons went 7-10 all three seasons Smith was the head coach. Couple that with Smith’s run-first approach, and there was a lot of pushback on the hiring.
However, there has been plenty of support from those in the football world. A big part of that stems from Smith’s two years as offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans. The Titans finished top 10 in the league in points scored in each of his seasons. It’s why Smith was given the opportunity to coach the Falcons in the first place. Former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi full-heartedly supports Smith as an offensive coach.
Now Smith has the opportunity to right his coaching ship while helping get the Steelers’ offense on the right track in 2024. If that happens, could Smith find another head-coaching opportunity in the not-too-distant future?
“I think he’s gonna be a very good head coach and I think a year or two as a coordinator will help,” NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport said on Tuesday’s episode of the Chipped Ham And Football. “He was one of the best coordinators in the NFL when he was doing this job in Tennessee.”
Part of what sold the Falcons (and likely the Steelers) was Smith’s work with QB Ryan Tannehill. A first-round pick of the Miami Dolphins, he never really lived up to the selection in south Florida. Then he joined the Titans and appeared in 12 games during the 2019 season.
Tannehill threw for 22 touchdowns, only six interceptions, and 2,742 yards while completing 70.3 percent of his passes. He even led the league with a 117.5 quarterback rating. Tannehill won the AP Comeback Player of the Year award and made his first and only Pro Bowl.
In 2020, Tannehill threw for a career-high 33 touchdowns versus only seven interceptions to go with 3,819 yards and a 65.5 completion percentage. He never before (or since) threw for 30-plus touchdowns in a single season.
The Steelers are hoping that Smith can work that same magic with either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields (or perhaps both). And if he can do that, the Steelers will get much better quarterback play than they have the last several years.
And Smith could be back on his way toward another head coaching opportunity. Offensive success in 2024 will be a positive for everybody involved (except for opposing defenses).
