Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith continued his head coach interview rounds, completing one with the New York Jets on Thursday and another with the Bears yesterday.
Smith spent three seasons (2021-2023) as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. He deserves a second shot in the position, out from under the thumb of Mike Tomlin.
Pittsburgh’s offense was anything but impactful in 2024, and some of the blame falls on Smith. Despite having promising talent, the unit consistently failed to deliver, ranking near the bottom in critical metrics like third-down conversions and red-zone efficiency.
Smith’s play-calling often lacked creativity, leading to predictable schemes that defenses exploited. Quarterback development stagnated, and the run game never found consistent footing. Steelers Nation is rightfully frustrated, as the offensive struggles overshadowed a defense capable of playoff-caliber performances.
Smith is still considered a hot head coach commodity and possibly won’t be in Pittsburgh much longer. Art Rooney II, Omar Khan and Tomlin need to nail the hire for Smith’s replacement. They must give whoever that winds up being full autonomy over his unit. As head coach, Tomlin should have input, not control, of the Steelers’ offense.
We have completed an interview with Arthur Smith for our Head Coach position.
— New York Jets (@nyjets) January 16, 2025
