Arthur Smith might be synonymous with an outside zone-based running scheme but in his first year as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator, he stuck with what the team already knew. Speaking to reporters after the Steelers made Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson their third-round pick last Friday night, Smith said 2024 was about him adjusting to talent more so than talent adjusting to him.
“I pivoted,” Smith said via the team’s YouTube channel. “I mean last year we didn’t run as much true outside zone. And that was due to just some familiarity with some of the players we had. You try to adapt to the strengths of the players, you don’t wanna be rigid. We ran a lot less wide zone, outside zone, whatever you wanna call it than I had previous couple years.”
It’s smart approach by Smith. Every coach has a system and core beliefs, but wise coaches adjust to the personnel on the field. Ask a player to do something that isn’t within his skill set and the results won’t turn out well no matter how sound a play looks on a white board.
With a young offensive line and returning offensive line coach in Pat Meyer, a position that’s typically served as de facto “run-game coordinator,” Arthur Smith wasn’t heavy-handed on his bread and butter. It also best served Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, two runners who lack great speed to get to the edge and do their best work between the tackles.
Johnson is a skilled outside/perimeter runner who thrived in zone runs at Iowa. Like Pittsburgh, Iowa ran a bit of everything but in a second year under Smith, the Steelers’ running game is set to mirror what Smith truly wants to do with the offense.
“He is a really good, whether you’re talking a wide zone or tight zone runner,” Smith said of Johnson’s skill set.
Perhaps that will create bigger run plays, an area the team has struggled in for years. Since 2021, Pittsburgh ranks last or tied for last in runs of 40-plus yards (just one) and touchdown runs of 20-plus yards (only three). Johnson is a mix between old and new, a bigger back but one with more burst and speed than Najee Harris or even Le’Veon Bell.
Smith’s offense must finish stronger and show more efficiency in 2025. Slow starts can’t continue, and Pittsburgh must be better in the red zone. But if Smith’s offense truly wasn’t “his” last year, the offense’s struggles are more explainable. This year, it must be made in his vision and the results must follow.
