Arthur Smith was named the new offensive coordinator of the Steelers today. Smith, who is entering his 17th season in the NFL, comes to Coach Mike Tomlin’s staff with a wealth of experience, having spent the last three (2021-23) as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
“It’s such a unique opportunity to be able to work for an organization like the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Smith said. “With the history and the culture here, and the opportunity to work with Mike Tomlin, to me it’s a perfect cultural fit.”
Prior to this, he was a member of the Tennessee Titans coaching staff from 2011 to 2020. He led the team as offensive coordinator in 2019 and 2020, when the offense was regarded as one of the finest in the NFL.
Under Smith’s leadership, the Falcons offense amassed over 400 yards in six games in 2023, which is tied for fourth most in the team’s single-season history. When it came to rushing yards per game, the squad was tenth in the NFL. Only two NFL teams concluded the season with a top-10 rushing attack and a top-5 opponent pressure percentage, and the Falcons were one of them.
Watch: Smith named Bijan Robinson the offensive coordinator. Robinson, a rookie running back selected in the first round by the Falcons (seventh overall), finished second among rookies in the NFL with 1,463 yards from scrimmage. Robinson also topped all NFL rookies with 976 yards of rushing, the most yards from scrimmage in Falcons history by a rookie. In addition, he scored eight touchdowns—four via catching and four via running.
Robinson also became the fifth rookie in NFL history to record at least 1,400 yards from scrimmage, 55 receptions, and four receiving touchdowns. He also established the Falcons record for most games with 100 yards from scrimmage, with six, and most receptions by a running back, with 58.
Under Smith’s direction, the Falcons run game expanded significantly, averaging 74.5 more rushing yards per game in 2022 than in 2021, the most increase by a team in an NFL season since 2001.
Since Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert did so with the Eagles in 2019, the tight end duo of Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith became the first to have 500+ receiving yards in a single season. Smith ended with 582 yards, while Pitts finished with 667 yards.
Smith played with the Tennessee Titans for ten seasons before joining the Falcons, serving as the offensive coordinator for the final two of those seasons.
Under his leadership, the Titans offense—which featured quarterback Ryan Tannehill lighting it up and running back Derrick Henry topping the NFL in rushing both seasons—was a major reason the team made it to the postseason both years.
PHOTOS: Arthur Smith joins the Steelers as offensive coordinator
Arthur Smith was appointed as the new offensive coordinator by the Steelers.
The Titans offense, led by Smith, was among the best in the NFL in 2020, finishing first or second in a number of categories, including plays of 50 yards or more, pass plays of 50 yards or more, total offense, rushing offense, yards/rush, red-zone efficiency, runs of 20 yards or more (20, 3rd), yards/play (6.2, 4th), runs of 10 yards or more (70, 4th), and third-down conversion rate (46.2, 5th).
The Titans offense topped the NFL and had the eighth-best single-season average since 2000 in 2020 with an average of 2.86 points per drive. The Titans’ touchdown percentage in 2020 was 35.9%, which is the fourth-best single-season percentage in the NFL since 2000.
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