Arthur Smith makes his debut as Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, as does his offensive line. While it’s shaping up to be remarkably similar to last year’s, it’s not quite that simple. So not simple, in fact, that Smith doesn’t want to give anything away about his plans.
Barring a surprise, the Steelers figure to start Dan Moore Jr. and Broderick Jones at left and right tackle, respectively. That’s par for the course from last season, but they are awaiting Troy Fautanu’s ascent into the starting lineup. Smith won’t give a straight answer as to how that dynamic plays out Sunday in Atlanta. Nor will he go into the nuances of what he has prepared for his offensive line to help neutralize the Falcons’ defense.
“I don’t want to give away too much strategy”, Smith said yesterday, via transcript provided by the Steelers’ media relations department. “Let them figure that out on Sunday. Again, that’s part of the coaching. You’re going to have matchups every week”.
The Falcons made some key additions late in the offseason, including pass rusher Matthew Judon. The Steelers know the new Falcons standout well as a former Raven, and he joins former All-Pro safety Justin Simmons as well. These are former studs who are still quality performers Smith suddenly has to prepare for, and he knows that.
“They’ve got a very veteran group, regardless of how much time they spent together”, Smith said. “This isn’t Matthew Judon’s first rodeo or Justin Simmons’ first rodeo. That’s a challenge week in and week out, regardless of the opponent. So those are things that I can figure out on Sunday. I don’t want to give it away, sorry”.
The Steelers have used five draft picks on offensive linemen the last two years, three of whom will start Sunday. Not precisely the three that everybody expected, but three nevertheless. Arguably the lone entrenched starter is rookie second-round pick Zach Frazier at center, whom Arthur Smith raved about.
Broderick Jones, the team’s 2023 first-round pick, remains in the starting lineup, and replacing Isaac Seumalo at left guard is Spencer Anderson. The Steelers drafted Anderson in the seventh round last year, and he is effectively making his debut. Smith spoke highly of Anderson, as well.
With a lineup including two players making their effective or literal debuts, however, Smith knows you need a little extra help to smooth things out. One easy guess is that the Steelers will leave RB Jaylen Warren in a lot to max protect. Maybe Smith will favor MyCole Pruitt for pass-protection assignments, since he knows what he can do in that arena.
But one thing is for certain: the Steelers need this offensive line to work in order to run Arthur Smith’s offense effectively. We saw what it looks like during the preseason when the line isn’t running smoothly, and it’s not pretty. So whatever Smith and the offensive coaches can draw up to give themselves an advantage, I’m all for it.
