Steelers' New Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith Is "An Innovative Play-Caller" But Won't Help Fix Quarterbacks Says Falcons Insider

The Pittsburgh Steelers have found their next offensive coordinator with the reported hire of former Atlanta Falcons Head Coach Arthur Smith. Smith checks a lot of the boxes that Head Coach Mike Tomlin wanted checked. He has a wealth of play-calling experience at the NFL level and is coming to Pittsburgh from outside the organization. He didn't have the smoothest tenure as the boss in Atlanta, but the move by the organization is still being viewed as a positive one. 

D. Orlando Ledbetter is an insider on the Falcons for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and he joined The PM Team w/Poni & Mueller on Tuesday to breakdown his thoughts on Pittsburgh's hiring of Smith. He was complimentary of the 41-year-old who led the Falcons to three straight 7-10 records as the head coach.

"You guys are getting a guy who can put together a run game," he said. "We didn't get to see the whole passing here even with Matt Ryan because they couldn't protect him. An innovative play-caller who will space you out and wants to attack."   

Ledbetter tried to combat some of the narratives that Smith didn't get the most out of the offensive weapons in Atlanta, specifically running back Bijan Robinson. He said that in his look at the statistics, it was clear that Smith used Robinson more than people seem to think. Robinson's 272 touches in the 2023 season ranked 12th in the league, only 12 fewer touches than Najee Harris. As far as using some of the talented pass catchers, Ledbetter said that was more of a quarterback issue with Desmond Ridder not being able to spread out the ball due to his turnover issues.    

The Steelers' presumptive starting quarterback for the 2024 season, barring unforeseen developments, will be Kenny Pickett, who was taken 54 picks before Ridder in the 2022 NFL Draft. Pickett has had his struggles distributing the ball to the Steelers' talented group of pass catchers in his 25 career games, but hasn't had the same turnover issues as his draft classmate. 

Pickett is in a pivotal year, and both President Art Rooney II and Mike Tomlin have stressed how crucial it is for the 25-year-old to show significant progress when he takes the field in 2024. It's not a perfect comparison, but Ryan Tannehill, after struggling to live up to his potential with the Miami Dolphins, was able to resurrect his career with the Tennessee Titans under the guise of Smith. 

Steelers' New OC Smith Is Not Going To Help Quarterbacks Develop

Smith's scheme and emphasis on running the football should, in theory, help a quarterback put a defense on its heels. Unfortunately, that plan didn't fully work out in Atlanta in large part because of the failures of Ridder. Ledbetter cautioned that Smith is not going to help the Steelers on that front. 

Mike Sullivan has been the Steelers quarterbacks coach since 2021. He has had some interest from other teams to potentially work for them. Whether he is back in Pittsburgh or not, Ledbetter cautioned that the team will need a strong development coach for the quarterbacks as it's not really in Smith's wheelhouse. 

"Smith is a lineman by trade," he said. "They didn't see the turnovers [by Ridder] coming. Hopefully, they've got a quarterback coach to help with the quarterbacks up there because I know that's the same issue as they have down here." 

Pittsburgh had looked at some potential offensive coordinators in the quarterback guru mold before Smith was hired. Whether Sullivan is back or not, Pickett hasn't shown the growth many hoped for through parts of two seasons. Finding a quarterback whisperer to pair with Smith might need to be Pittsburgh's next priority. 

What did you think of Ledbetter's assessment of Smith? Are you worried that he won't be able to help Pickett? Comment below!

#SteelerNation