Recently Fired Head Coach Pegged as Possible Steelers OC Candidate

Getty The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko named recently-fired Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith as a possible offensive coordinator candidate for Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

As the saying goes, one man’s trash is another one’s treasure. According to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko, that could be the case with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arthur Smith.

After three consecutive 7-10 seasons, the Atlanta Falcons fired Smith as their head coach on January 8. Three days later, while answering a mailbag question, Batko proposed the idea of the Steelers considering Smith for their opening at offensive coordinator.

“[Smith’s] stellar work with a play action-heavy offense in Tennessee and reviving Ryan Tannehill’s career is why he got the keys in Atlanta to begin with. Hitching his wagon to Desmond Ridder at quarterback didn’t go so well for him, though,” Batko wrote. “Some folks aren’t head coach material but are still excellent at designing an offense and calling plays.

“Perhaps Smith fits that description, and there’s no doubt his reputation would align with the Steelers’ personnel and philosophy on offense.”

The Tennessee Titans finished in the top 12 in yards and points scored during back-to-back seasons in Smith’s two seasons as offensive coordinator during 2019 and 2020. In his second season, the Titans featured one of the best offenses in the league. They ended 2020 second in yards and fourth in points.