Steelers Now
Welcome to Steelers Morning Rush, our new daily short-form podcast with Alan Saunders, giving a longer perspective on a single news topic surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers or the National Football League. Today, it’s how the trade to acquire tight end Jonnu Smith has continued an offseason-long trend of catering to the personality and scheme of offensive coordinator Arthur Smith — putting the pressure on him to increase the performance of his offense.
The Steelers acquired Smith, making him the third former Smith protege on the current roster, joining Cordarrelle Patterson and Scotty Miller. In addition to players that have played for Smith before, the Steelers have also made moves to help better fit his scheme, grabbing Aaron Rodgers instead of Russell Wilson and drafting Kaleb Johnson instead of keeping Najee Harris.
Smith did a good job last year in his first season as the Steelers offensive coordinator, but the unprecedented level of service to his scheme and personality fit this offseason definitely ramps up the pressure to be an above-average offense in 2025.
Alan breaks it down.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Trade Puts Pressure on Arthur Smith | Steelers Morning Rush
