The Pittsburgh Steelers going from Matt Canada to Arthur Smith might be the starkest coordinator change in the NFL. At least that seems to be how those inside the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex feel about it, via Ray Fittipaldo.
“The vibe I get from players is they believe a pro is now in charge and there is more confidence in his ability to move the ball and score points”, he said of Arthur Smith in a recent chat session for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
“They’re still very young and there are three new QBs so there will be some hiccups, but in terms of game planning and play calling there is much higher confidence among the players in Smith than his predecessor”.
Arthur Smith’s predecessor is, of course, Matt Canada—sort of. He struggled so much that the Steelers fired him in-season, something they had never done before with a coordinator. Eddie Faulkner and Mike Sullivan split duties for the remainder of the 2023 season, but Mike Tomlin wanted an experienced coordinator.
He found one in Smith, although he only has two years of coordinating experience. After working his way up with the Tennessee Titans, he ascended to offensive coordinator in 2019. His units produced well enough that the Atlanta Falcons poached him for their head coaching position in 2021.
While he struggled enough to lose his job as head coach after three seasons, Smith’s reputation as an offensive mind remains intact. Even Pro Football Focus recently named him one of the top coordinators in the NFL.
One trait of Arthur Smith offenses is they have largely functioned without a strong second wide receiver. Steelers reporters believe he is showing that he can do that with this offense, and he may need to.
The only time Matt Canada’s offense worked in Pittsburgh was when he had the talent and health. Diontae Johnson and Najee Harris both made the Pro Bowl in 2021, and Pat Freiermuth scored seven touchdowns, but that was largely thanks to Ben Roethlisberger.
Smith has to prove that he can succeed without an elite quarterback, unless Russell Wilson proves otherwise. He should be an upgrade over Kenny Pickett, but he isn’t likely a top-10 player at his position anymore. At the least, the Steelers are getting a pretty good idea during camp about what his offense is.
This reminds me of the Cleveland Browns in 2022 when they leaked that they wanted an “adult in the room” at quarterback to smear Baker Mayfield. Only this isn’t a smear; Canada never ran an adult offense. Arthur Smith at least has the track record. And based on how players have responded, the difference.
