The Pittsburgh Steelers fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada during the 2023 regular season but coach Mike Tomlin and his staff have an interview for the vacant offensive coordinator position. It is being reported by multiple outlets that the Steelers are interviewing former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith for the position.
Smith has experience coaching the offensive side of the football before as he was on the offensive coaching staff for the Tennessee Titans before becoming the Falcons coach. Below is a list of his positions that he coached on the offensive side of things with the Titans.
- 2012: Offensive Quality Control Coach
- 2013: Offensive Line Coach
- 2014-15: Assistant Tight Ends Coach
- 2016-18: Tight Ends Coach
- 2019-20: Offensive Coordinator
This would be an interesting hire for the Pittsburgh Steelers as he has shown the ability to lead a strong offense. Would his mediocre stint with the Atlanta Falcons hurt his chances? Only time will tell.
Can Arthur Smith help fix the offense for the Pittsburgh Steelers?
The Pittsburgh Steelers have some solid offensive pieces but the offense needs work if they want to be a serious threat in the AFC going forward. The offense looked dreadful throughout the season as they were 28th in scoring (17.9 ppg), 25th in passing (186.1) and 13th in rushing (118.2). That was with a lot of talented wide receivers and less-than-stellar quarterback play.
Despite that, the Steelers still found a way to make the AFC Wild Card Round and should be able to improve. If the Pittsburgh Steelers decide to continue throwing out quarterback Kenny Pickett, Arthur Smith should be able to help scheme things open for him. Pickett in 2023 finished going 201-of-324 (62.0 completion percentage) for 2,070 yards with six touchdown passes to four interceptions.
The Steelers have some solid players on the offensive side of the football but with some free agents on this side of the ball like running back Najee Harris and quarterback Mason Rudolph, this team has the window closing of young and controllable talent. Smith could help as he has shown to be a strong coordinator in his past.
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