Arthur Smith's getting another chance to shepherd a struggling offense.
Smith, who was fired after three seasons as Atlanta Falcons head coach, is being hired as the Pittsburgh Steelers' new offensive coordinator, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday, per a source.
The 41-year-old Smith will become the fifth full-time offensive coordinator of Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin's tenure, which began in 2007. Of the previous four, three were in-house selections. That included the last, Matt Canada, who was dismissed during the 2023 campaign.
Smith heads to Pittsburgh looking to not just revamp the Steelers' offense, but his reputation as an offensive asset. Smith's ability to rebuild Ryan Tannehill's career and helm the NFL's No. 2 offense as the Tennessee Titans' offensive coordinator led to him the role of Falcons head coach. However, his inability to steward a quarterback of the future in Atlanta largely led to his dismissal after three straight 7-10 campaigns.
The Steelers' offense was 28th in points scored in 2023. Smith's Falcons were 26th.
Just how much Smith can improve Steelers' offensive attack will no doubt be a prevailing storyline in 2024. Much as the Falcons were, he'll find a Steelers contingent stocked with skill talent such as running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, wide receivers Diontae Johnson and George Pickens and tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington. And just like Atlanta, he'll find a looming question at quarterback.
Tops on Smith's to-do list will be figuring out and building up the Steelers' QB position. At this point, Pittsburgh has 2022 first-rounder Kenny Pickett returning after a subpar second season. Longtime backup Mason Rudolph delivered Pittsburgh from its offensive doldrums down the stretch, but he's a pending free agent.
Smith spent 10 seasons with the Titans, the last two from 2019-2020 as their OC. Now he's back as an AFC OC with the Steelers looking to remedy an offense ailing for the better part of the last five seasons.
