Arthur Smith is the new offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s an indictment of Kenny Pickett and potential opportunity for Ryan Tannehill.
Smith relies on the run and plays it safe with quarterbacks. He wasn’t hired to develop Pickett. Smith will minimize Pickett and try to mask his deficiencies. That won’t be the stated intent. But that’s what will happen.
As ex-Steeler Trai Essex concluded, Smith’s hiring is an admission of Pickett’s limitations.
Ryan Tannehill was the quarterback at Tennessee when Smith was the Titans’ offensive coordinator from 2019-20. Tannehill won 18 games in 26 starts. He threw 55 touchdowns, just 13 interceptions. (The latter stat means more.)
Tannehill, 35, is a free agent this offseason. He knows Smith’s system and expectations. Teams are unlikely to pursue Tannehill with an eye toward him starting.
If the price is reasonable, the Steelers should get Tannehill as the backup.
If Tannehill is smart, he will see Pickett as a weak-armed medium talent with subpar pocket sense who is likely to stumble and lose his job.
Getting Tannehill would push Pickett.
Retaining Mason Rudolph would push Pickett.
If the Steelers do neither and instead employ a generic backup like, say, Josh Dobbs, they’re admitting that Pickett doesn’t have the backbone to handle a challenge. It also compromises the “sense of urgency” that owner Art Rooney II was babbling about.
If the backup can’t legit push Pickett, winning isn’t the priority. The Steelers would be trying to force-feed Pickett the starting job by way of fending off the humiliating probability that Pickett is a waste of a first-round draft pick.
Hiring Smith isn’t the big reveal. What happens at quarterback is.
Full disclosure: Tannehill wasn’t great last season. He went 3-5 in eight starts, throwing four touchdowns and seven interceptions with a passer rating of 78.5. Pickett’s passer rating was 81.4.
From the Steelers’ viewpoint, Smith is an easy hire.
The son of the FedEx founder, Smith absolutely, positively will deliver 10-7 or 9-8 … well, not overnight but after 18 weeks. (He was 7-10 in each of his three years as Atlanta’s head coach. It’s impossible to be more consistent.)
Smith is safe and vanilla. He’s not a bright, young, innovative offensive mind. He’s recycled.
Smith reflects Mike Tomlin’s offensive vision: run the ball and limit turnovers. As opposed to scoring more and faster, like most of the NFL.
Smith won’t help Pickett catch up to Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow or Josh Allen. But that’s not possible, anyway.
Playing it safe with Pickett might be the only sensible choice. Smith’s hiring confirms. (But Brock Purdy inflates fanboy projections for every rotten quarterback: “If. Mr. Irrelevant can make the Super Bowl, so can Kenny! If Kenny was with San Francisco, he’d do just as well as Purdy!” Uh, no.)
The ceiling is grinding out a wild card and losing the first playoff game. Again.
At least Smith is qualified for the job. Matt Canada wasn’t. But Smith is hardly Bruce Arians.
Smith uses lots of play-action. It’s up to the running game to make those situations favorable. (Smith had Derrick Henry in Tennessee. Henry made play-action work.)
Smith often uses two tight ends. Pat Freiermuth finally might have to learn to block.
It’s not a bad hire. It’s just a horribly unexciting hire.
The Steelers should add a passing game coordinator. It’s the way of today’s NFL and would provide somebody extra to blame.
We were told the Steelers would cast a wide net in the hiring process. They didn’t. They interviewed three candidates.
Zac Robinson, the Los Angeles Rams’ passing game coordinator, declined to interview with the Steelers. He took the offensive coordinator’s job with Atlanta. That doesn’t make the Steelers look good.
True, Robinson followed Raheem Morris to the Falcons. Morris had been the Rams’ defensive coordinator. There’s a connection.
But Robinson — one of the previously mentioned bright, young, innovative offensive minds — didn’t even talk to the Steelers.
It’s not a great job. That’s why Smith got it. He’s working with a defensive-minded head coach and a below-the-line talent at quarterback.
Smith is a solid offensive coordinator.
He’ll have to be a miracle worker to get the Steelers their first playoff win in eight seasons.