Report: Arthur Smith, Steelers Expected to Agree to OC Contract After Falcons Stint

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The Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to pick former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith as their next offensive coordinator, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Smith went 21-30 in his three years with Atlanta. Before that, he was the OC for the Tennessee Titans for two seasons.

Given the personnel in Pittsburgh’s offense, Smith makes a lot of sense for the role.

During his short spell in Tennessee, the Titans became an elite offensive unit with a scheme centered around Derrick Henry. Henry led the NFL in rushing yards and touchdowns in 2019 and 2020, in the latter year going for 2,027 yards.

With the Steelers, Smith inherits the backfield tandem of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, who combined to go for 1,819 yards and 12 scores on the ground. Expectations might be particularly high for Harris, who was a Pro Bowler as a rookie in 2021 and failed to match that level since then.

Smith’s tenure in Atlanta will leave some fans disappointed with his hiring, though.

Quarterback Desmond Ridder failed to make great strides through his first two years, while the Falcons had a below-average offense in 2023 despite investing top-10 picks in Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts.

From the outside, Smith doesn’t look like an ideal candidate to maximize the value of wideouts George Pickens and Diontae Johnson or coax something new out of quarterback Kenny Pickett.

Granted, what the Steelers do at QB might be bigger than the offensive coordinator they hired.

Targeting a replacement for or at least a viable veteran alternative to Pickett would present a significant change next season.