What will ex-Falcons coach Arthur Smith bring to Steelers as offensive coordinator?

Greg Auman

NFC South Reporter

Arthur Smith, fired after three seasons as the Falcons’ head coach, has a fresh start as the Steelers’ new offensive coordinator.

What does that mean for Pittsburgh? After the Steelers struggled to move the ball consistently with two different coordinators in 2022, it’s a chance to perhaps get back to an above-average run game for the first time in years.

Smith, 41, has shown a commitment to the run game, both in three years in Atlanta and in two years before that as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator. Thanks to Derrick Henry, the Titans ranked in the top three in the league in rushing in 2019 and 2020, finishing fourth in scoring offense in 2020 and second in rushing, total and red-zone offense.

His Falcons ran the ball plenty as well — an NFL-high 559 carries in 2022, third-most with 522 this past season — but it wasn’t enough to avoid a third straight 7-10 season that ultimately led to Smith’s firing. 

For a team known for bruising running backs, including Hall of Famers Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis, the Steelers haven’t ranked in the top half of the league in yards per carry since 2016. They were dead last as recently as 2020, the same year Smith and the Titans ranked second. But Pittsburgh has a young 1-2 punch in Najee Harris (three straight 1,000-yard seasons) and Jaylen Warren, who averaged 5.3 yards per carry as one of the league’s best No. 2 backs.

Atlanta and Pittsburgh weren’t that different in 2023, two teams with talented rosters and underwhelming production from their quarterbacks. The Steelers were 7-7 and won their last three games to make the playoffs, while the Falcons were 6-6 and lost four of their last five to miss out. Pittsburgh, which ranked 28th in scoring, believes it has found its answer in Smith, whose Falcons ranked 26th.

Smith’s time in Atlanta featured consistent criticism for not using the Falcons’ biggest playmakers on offense enough, after using…

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Publish date : 2024-01-30 18:37:30

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