The Pittsburgh Steelers have a full year with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith at the helm. We’ve already looked at the goals he and the offense achieved – and the ones that failed.
Today, we’ll look at the Steelers’ offense from a usage perspective. Changing from Matt Canada to Smith meant a radically different philosophy and construction of the offense from a personnel standpoint. Using data collected via our Clayton Eckert, here’s the shift in personnel groupings from 2021 through 2024.
Here’s the numbers:
And here’s the key takeaways:
– As expected, the Steelers’ use of 11 personnel (three wide receiver sets) fell. Dramatically. Smith’s offenses have often been among the least-heavy when it comes to 11-personnel, a staple of most NFL offenses and definitely of Pittsburgh’s the last several years. From 2021-2023, they sat no worse than 69-percent in a season. In 2024, that number fell to 52-percent.
– In its place came a lot of 12 and 13 personnel, two and three tight end sets. Under Smith, 12 personnel saw a 9-percent increase while 13 personnel jumped up by 10 points. In 2021 and 2022, the two full years under Matt Canada, 12 personnel wasn’t used at all.
– Usage is one thing. Effectiveness means more. That’s where Arthur Smith had problems.
Despite having the NFL’s second-highest rate of 13 personnel, it’s easily the least-successful grouping of anything Pittsburgh’s run over the past four years. League-wide in 2024, the Steelers’ 34-percent success rate out of 13 ranked just 21st.
Those numbers can’t continue. Pittsburgh can’t be the second-highest in a grouping and rank bottom-third.
Given Smith’s long-standing use of 13 personnel, I’d expect Pittsburgh to continue heavily using it in 2025. It must be more efficient and successful.
– Under Smith, the only successful grouping that ranked above league-average was 12 personnel. Appropriately, it had the 12th-highest usage and the 12-best success rate. Unless Pittsburgh can find a strong third tight end, last year rotated between MyCole Pruitt and Connor Heyward, relying more on 12 personnel might be a better path to take.
– Overall, Smith’s groupings were the most balanced the Steelers have had in years. Even without the data, Pittsburgh was a heavy 11-personnel team under Randy Fichtner and during the late 2010s under Ben Roethlisberger. This is a stark change but an expected one given Smith’s track record. Ultimately, no matter the style or philosophy a coordinator has, results are what matters. Smith needs to show improvement there, too.
