During his end-of-season press briefing, Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II said the team would make their offensive coordinator decision sooner rather than later.
They couldn’t have been much quicker about it as the team has apparently made their choice just a day later.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Steelers are expected to hire former Atlanta Falcons head coach as their next offensive coordinator.
https://x.com/TomPelissero/status/1752380808915210560?s=20
The decision brings an end to a fast OC search where the Steelers had interviewed some interesting young options before deciding on a more experienced coach to take the role.
Smith’s Most Recent Stop
Smith’s most recent coaching job was one that didn’t turn out too well for him.
He was hired as the head coach of the Falcons back in 2021 with the hope that he could improve an offense that had been surprisingly average even with Matt Ryan, Calvin Ridley, and Julio Jones.
It ended up being a disappointing hire.
The Falcons finished 26th in scoring in two of Smith’s three years with the team and won exactly seven games in each of his three seasons.
Those struggles came despite the team repeatedly investing in offensive firepower for Smith.
They landed Kyle Pitts, Drake London, and Bijan Robinson with top-10 picks in three consecutive drafts.
He wasn’t able to properly utilize any of the three highly-touted prospects.
Smith’s time as a head coach can’t be seen as anything other than a bust, but his time as an offensive coordinator was much more positive.
The Tennessee Titans finished in the top 10 in scoring in each of his seasons as their offensive coordinator. Those seasons should also give Steelers fans a pretty clear picture of what to expect from the offense in 2024.
What it Means for the Steelers’ Offense
Hiring Smith as the Steelers’ next offensive coordinator likely means one thing for the direction the team wants to take the offense in.
This team is going to run the ball.
It has been the one constant in Smith’s last two stops.
The Titans ran the ball 445 times in 2019 under Smith. The following year, Derrick Henry had 378 carries on his own.
The team ran it 521 times.
His Falcons teams didn’t have the same offensive success as his Titans teams, but he maintained the same approach.
Even without a bell cow back, the Falcons ran the ball 393 times in 2021. In 2022, they leaned ever harder on the run game. They carried the ball a staggering 559 times.
This past season, that number stayed high with 522 carries in 17 games.
The Steelers were expected to bring in a coordinator that will help Kenny Pickett develop after a disappointing first two seasons.
Instead, it looks like they’re going to just make their passing game a secondary option as they let the run game lead the offense.
They have running backs that can get it done with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, but they’ll need some upgrades on the offensive line if they’re going to consistently create running room.
This hire won’t be great for Pickett’s development and the team’s receivers probably won’t love the offense they’re about to end up in, but the team at least now has a clear identity on offense.
They’ll just have to hope that identity allows them to keep up in a conference loaded with elite talent at quarterback if they’re going to finally find playoff success again.
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Steelers Expected to Hire Run-First Former Head Coach as Next OC: Report