It might seem strange to pull a baseball term for the Pittsburgh Steelers. But for offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, RBIs are an important part to unlocking his offense. “Runs batted in” isn’t only something expected out of Andrew McCutchen, Oneil Cruz, and company. It’s a stated goal for Smith.
As we relayed in our deep dive into Smith shortly after his hire, we described his definition and love of RBIs.
“He’s big on teammates straining and showing extra effort to make blocks downfield. He calls these blocks by receivers to spring running backs for good to great runs “RBIs” or “assists” and knows how crucial they are to making a play work. Same applies in the passing game, Smith once saying his favorite play of the year was a downfield block Titans WR Corey Davis made to spring A.J. Brown the rest of the way for a touchdown.”
To best illustrate the point, here’s the play Smith referred to. In 2019, Davis threw the key final block to spring Brown for a 65-yard touchdown. Watch Davis, No. 84, pancake the downfield defensive back.
That’s an RBI.
Who “batted in” the most Steelers in 2024? To figure that out, I watched back every 20-plus yard catch or run to see if downfield blocking made the play possible. Being credited an RBI didn’t require a touchdown. Just that it contributed to an explosive play. And it had to be either downfield or outside the player’s assignment. Blocking your responsibility at the line of scrimmage didn’t count. These “RBIs” are going the extra mile.
Below is the 2024 tally.
| Player | RBIs |
|---|---|
| Scotty Miller | 2 |
| Van Jefferson | 2 |
| Connor Heyward | 2 |
| Pat Freiermuth | 2 |
| Cordarrelle Patterson | 1 |
| George Pickens | 1 |
Ten in total with four players have a pair: WRs Scotty Miller and Van Jefferson, TE Connor Heyward, and TE Pat Freiermuth. Cordarelle Patterson and George Pickens had one. Let’s take a look at them.
Scotty Miller
Miller’s came against the Colts and Cowboys. In the first, he comes down to get in the way of a linebacker closing in on TE Darnell Washington. He gets in the way to allow Washington to continue down the sideline for a 20-yard gain.
The second example doesn’t fit as perfectly, and part of Miller’s job is to turn into a downfield blocker. It makes this RBI more debatable, but I still liked the extra effort and execution of running his feet and sticking to the third level defensive back, clearing up the runway for RB Najee Harris on this screen pass. You can see Miller go from running off the DB with his release to pivoting around and becoming a blocker.
Van Jefferson
While Jefferson only caught 24 passes, he had value as a blocker and did the majority of the dirty work. Against the Colts, he helped throw a block way downfield on this long catch-and-run by Harris. Miller almost picked up another assist but couldn’t hold his block like Jefferson.
In the second example, Jefferson became a blocker to spring WR Calvin Austin III for a few more yards versus the Jets. No, Jefferson’s block wasn’t the reason why this was a big play, and it didn’t create additional yards like Corey Davis did for AJ Brown at the top. But it still was a selfless, effort play that allowed Austin to pick up all he could. He prevented the DB from coming downhill, giving Austin nearly another 10 yards to scoot.
Connor Heyward
Like Miller, one of Heyward’s examples comes from the screen to Najee Harris against Dallas. He also goes from decoy to downfield blocker and does a nice job. The second is also up for debate because it was part of his split zone/flow action, but I gave him credit because he took two Browns’ players out on this keeper by QB Justin Fields, the critical blocks that sprung him down the sideline.
Pat Freiermuth
Freiermuth has two quality RBI examples. The first is my favorite assist of the year. After initially not finding any work on this double with TE Darnell Washington, Freiermuth ends up turning around and facing Harris as he eludes ex-Steelers linebacker Robert Spillane in the hole.
After getting out of the way, Freiermuth then gets his eyes towards the deep safety coming downhill as the last line of defense. Freiermuth gets to the inside of Harris and provides the key final block, Harris racing down the left sideline and diving over the goal line for the touchdown.
The other example is solid, too. On this Jaylen Warren screen, Freiermuth is way downfield sticking and driving the defender out of bounds. Strong blocking from the o-line and Warren’s bowling ball self helped pave the way, but it’s really good effort from Freiermuth, who has routinely made this open-space blocks throughout his career.
George Pickens
We credited Pickens with one RBI. Facing the Jets, he throws an “airplane block” (hands up in the air, crossing the defender’s face to avoid a block in the back) to spring Freiermuth down the left side. Van Jefferson could’ve been credited here but his man also helped get in on the tackle, so I didn’t give him the assist.
Cordarrelle Patterson
Finally, Patterson’s RBI. This one is the least impactful because Calvin Austin III likely scores either way. But Patterson still made the effort to knock down a trailing defender on Austin’s 55-yard score against the Los Angeles Chargers. In that sense, it’s similar to the play Davis made for Brown in Tennessee and that effort is worth recognizing.
Some offensive systems don’t prioritize these things. Bill Belichick just wanted receivers and playmakers who made plays. Blocking was irrelevant. But it’s a trait of importance under Arthur Smith. Plays like this are key to getting reps and making the team. In our “Big Book,” Smith noted he wouldn’t keep players who didn’t fit that culture.
It’s no shock to see Diontae Johnson and George Pickens traded since Smith became offensive coordinator, two players with inconsistent effort and strain. And it’s why Pittsburgh has made moves like trading for WR DK Metcalf and signing Robert Woods, two players regarded as physical blockers.
