Steelers Now
Former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith still is in the thick of it for another head coaching or offensive coordinator job.
He is one of the top candidates for the Tennessee Titans’ offensive coordinator vacancy, along with Kliff Kingsbury, Brian Daboll and others.
Smith, who interviewed with the multiple other teams, for not only their offensive coordinator jobs but also head coaching, has yet to find a home. But Tennessee would make a lot of sense.
Smith has a complicated history. Most Steelers or Falcons fans wouldn’t give you great reviews. He’s been successful elsewhere, though. As the Steelers’ offense stalled at times, it’s hard to truly get a read on him as a coordinator. While it’s not the most flashy, Pittsburgh’s offense scored its most points per game since 2020, despite having limited weapons.
He originally was in Tennessee, where he was the play caller for a Titans offense, which is what put him on the map. Former 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was recently hired as the Titans’ head coach and is trying to find the best man for the job.
An underrated aspect to Arthur Smith’s offense — while not high-powered or flashy — it tends provide a stable structure for quarterbacks. This could be an important deciding factor for Tennessee as 2025 first overall pick Cam Ward, who would want to work with the best possible option.
Ryan Tannehill, originally a highly-coveted quarterback, never really found his footing early on in his career, but had a resurgence under Smith, leading the league in passer rating. With the Steelers, Justin Fields was 4-2 with 10 touchdowns and one interception and had games against the Colts, where he threw for 300 yards, and Charger, where he threw for over 245 yards. Also in 2024, Russell Wilson was mostly successful for Pittsburgh, having a game against the Bengals where he threw for 400 yards. After Pittsburgh, he went to the Giants, where he was benched as well after two bad starts.
After Mike Tomlin stepped down, things are changing in Pittsburgh, and while Steelers fans have had a lot to say about Smith, it will be interesting to see if he can be successful with different personnel.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Former Steelers Coordinator Still Coaching Option for Old Team
