The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense had some highs in 2024, the first season with Arthur Smith running the show as the team’s offensive coordinator. But ultimately, the offense is going to be remembered more for its collapse down the stretch and failure to score more than 17 points in the Steelers’ final five games. Heading into Year 2, head coach Mike Tomlin said he thinks the offense will be a lot better given Smith’s familiarity with the Steelers.
“Certainly, when I talk about rookies for example, it’s reasonable to expect significant growth between Year 1 and Year 2. But I can apply that analogy to any and all of us,” Tomlin told Max Starks in an interview for Steelers.com. “As you mentioned, this is Arthur’s second year in Pittsburgh, and so he’s familiar with the culture within which he works. He’s also more familiar with the players that we have, the ones that have been here and will continue to be here. And also, he’s been a component of the acquisition of the new players, guys like Kenny [Gainwell] and DK [Metcalf]. And so it’s reasonable to expect him and us as an offensive collective to take a significant step forward.”
While Smith won’t have the same offense he worked with last season, some key pieces remain in all five projected starting offensive linemen (although Troy Fautanu wasn’t on the field much, he at least learned the system), George Pickens, Pat Freiermuth and Jaylen Warren. There’s going to be some turnover, but Smith’s familiarity with his personnel has increased, and he’s also going to have another talented receiver in DK Metcalf to pair with Pickens.
The offense could also continue to improve talent-wise through the draft, but after one year, Arthur Smith is settled in and has more than likely looked at what worked and what didn’t and can tweak his game plan to help the offense live up to its full potential. It’s interesting, albeit unsurprising, that he had a hand in the team’s offensive acquisitions in free agency. He also reportedly met with Aaron Rodgers when he visited the Steelers’ facility.
Not much went right for the Steelers down the stretch last season, but the offense’s inability to put points on the board was one of the biggest factors in Pittsburgh’s collapse. With Smith back and a new quarterback, whoever it may be, the Steelers should have a nice blend of holdovers from last year and new acquisitions who can help their offense improve. There are still a lot of questions that need to be answered, but the players from last year are acclimated into the system now and Arthur Smith has a better idea of what’s going to work for his personnel, which should lead to offensive improvements.
