Though it came with the ugly caveat of a historically poor finish, the Pittsburgh Steelers had their best offensive output in years during Arthur Smith’s first season as offensive coordinator. The team finished 16th in points per game, and for one brief mid-season moment, cracked the top 10. But given the ending and one-and-done playoff outcome, there’s plenty of work left to do. For Smith, the Steelers’ 2025 offense will look much closer to the offense he wants to run.
“I’ve heard that from multiple people he pretty much had to dial back to what was available to him at the time,” beat writer Mark Kaboly said of Smith’s offense on 93.7 The Fan Friday afternoon.
Kaboly doesn’t specify who he’s heard the comments from. One man is Arthur Smith himself. As we’ve cited several times, Smith made a reference during the draft to not scheming not as many outside zone runs, his bread and butter, as he would’ve liked last season. He didn’t explain the issue but running backs who didn’t quite fit, coupled with an offensive line used to running different schemes, are logical contributing factors.
Pittsburgh spent the offseason making plenty of offensive changes. There’s a brand-new quarterback room, though who will start remains an outstanding question. After letting Najee Harris depart in free agency, the Steelers used a third-round draft pick and the team’s second selection on Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson, a strong fit for an outside zone system.
“I think they are at least more suited right now to let Arthur Smith do what he wants to do all the stuff he wants to do,” Kaboly told Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller. “The outside zones, some of the across the middle stuff.”
It’s fair to believe any offensive coordinator joining a non-rebuilding team wouldn’t be able to fully implement his offense on the fly. But even giving Smith that pass, it won’t be an excuse for his second season as Steelers’ coordinator. Pittsburgh will need to post better numbers than a season ago. Not just in overall points per game, but the underlying numbers that produce points. Better in short-yardage, better in the red zone, and more chunk plays on the ground and through the air to eliminate the need for repeated 10-play drives where one dropped pass or penalty can ruin momentum.
Of course, the new faces added to the Steelers’ lineup must all perform well, especially a young and developing offensive line. As the saying goes, it’s not about the X’s and the O’s but the Jimmy’s and the Joe’s.
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