What the Steelers offense will look like under new OC Arthur Smith. I didn’t really get to share my thoughts on the Steelers hiring Arthur Smith as their new offensive coordinator because it happened in the middle of Senior Bowl week and the news broke during practice. My first thoughts are that Smith is better than anything they had. He has had success as an OC in the past, but his struggles in Atlanta cannot be overlooked. I’ll reserve judgment either way until I see how it performs in the field. As far as what happens on the field, the offense certainly looks different from a scheme perspective in terms of personnel and the way the Steelers operate. First, expect the Steelers to be more creative with their skill position players. Specifically, running on early downhills.
The Falcons had 19 percent of their first downs on 21 carries in 2023 (two defensive backs, one tight end) — a feat the Steelers have never accomplished. Atlanta also led the NFL with 22 first downs, meaning we could see packages with Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington or maybe Le’Veon Bell, he said with a sly smile and a wink. At the same time on the square start quite often rides and new descents. Stay tuned, expect a lot more attention in 2024. The Falcons led the NFL in tight ends at 34 percent. By comparison, the Steelers were 22nd at 19 percent.
Freiermuth and Washington and the occasional Connor Heyward will get more looks. Hopefully that also means Washington is used more as a big play option or just looks more down the stretch. In terms of direction, the Steelers had trouble getting too much in the shotgun, especially on early downs. This, combined with their attacking tendencies, made it very easy for opposing defenses to predict what was going to happen.
According to GINI, which shows how focused the team’s style is, the Steelers ranked fifth in GINI formations to the Falcons’ 29. That means Pittsburgh had very few formations they could use, while Atlanta had many different looks..
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