PITTSBURGH (TNS) — The Steelers are going to hire former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith as their offensive coordinator, team sources have told the Post-Gazette.
Smith, who was fired after three seasons with the Falcons, was the offensive coordinator from 2019-20 with the Tennessee Titans. He replaces Matt Canada, who was fired in November after 2 1/2 seasons with the Steelers.
Smith interviewed with the Steelers on Saturday — the third candidate to meet with coach Mike Tomlin, general manager Omar Khan and team president Art Rooney II. But they didn’t want to wait any longer to hire Canada’s replacement and risk losing a potential candidate.
That happened with Los Angeles Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Robinson, who was on their list of candidates but was hired as the Falcons offensive coordinator before the Steelers could interview him.
Smith, 41, comes off an uninspiring tenure as Falcons coach, going 7-10 in each of his three seasons. But prior to that, he helped lead a resurgence of the Titans as their offensive coordinator, building an offense around star running back Derrick Henry that had Tennessee in the top 10 in offense in 2019 and 2020.
Before he was offensive coordinator under Mike Vrabel, Smith worked under two other head coaches in Tennessee — former Steelers offensive line coach Mike Munchak and former Steelers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt.
Smith served as Titans offensive line coach in 2013 and assistant tight ends coach in 2014 and 2015. He was the tight ends coach from 2016-18. He also served an assistant coach at North Carolina, his alma mater, and Ole Miss in the college ranks and for the Washington Commanders before he joined the Titans in 2011 as a quality control coach.
Fair or not, Smith brings with him a reputation of not utilizing his best talents on offense, particularly a pair of top-10 draft picks in tight end Kyle Pitts and running back Bijan Robinson. After racking up 1,056 receiving yards in his rookie season in 2021, Pitts never got close to that mark again, finishing with a combined 1,023 yards over his next 27 games and scoring just six total touchdowns so far in his career. Robinson had just two games with 100-plus rushing yards (although he did have 103 receiving yards in the season finale) and finished with eight total touchdowns in his rookie season.
State of the SteelersSmith follows an embattled Canada, who was fired in November and was replaced by interim co-coordinators Mike Sullivan and Eddie Faulkner. Sullivan has recently interviewed with the Saints and Raiders for their own vacant positions.
Since Canada was named to replace Randy Fichtner as coordinator in 2021, the Steelers averaged just 18.6 points and scored 30 or more points just twice in 44 games. Following his dismissal, the offense never truly took off until Mason Rudolph replaced an injured Kenny Pickett at quarterback. In his first start of the season Dec. 23 against the Bengals, Rudolph threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns, then guided the Steelers to two more victories to sneak into the playoffs. Although Pickett was healthy enough to play, head coach Mike Tomlin chose to ride the hot hand with Rudolph, who finished with 229 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a 31-17 loss to the Bills.
While Smith will undoubtedly be charged with reviving Pickett’s career — stated as much by Rooney on Monday — he may be coming to Pittsburgh to further bolster the rushing attack. Atlanta finished ninth in the NFL in rushing yards per game in 2023, even with major questions at quarterback. The Steelers found the running game as their identity late in the season, with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren’s success a primary reason they finished strong.
Harris had back-to-back games with 100-plus rushing yards in the final two games of the regular season — the only two contests in which he eclipsed the century mark on the ground. Warren, meanwhile, turned into a reliable threat in both the running and passing game, ending his year with 784 rushing yards and 61 receptions. So if Smith wants to continue his reputation as a ground-attack specialist, he has a pair of weapons already at his disposal.
The Steelers have yet to confirm the hire, so it’s not known when Smith would be formally announced. It could be a while, though, as Tomlin and general manager Khan are in Mobile, Ala., for the rest of the week scouting draft prospects at the Senior Bowl.
