Originally appeared at Steelers Now: Steelers OC Arthur Smith Contract Details Revealed
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has not officially signed his contract yet, but will sign a three-year contract to join the team, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. For now, Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan are in Mobile, Alabama, for the Senior Bowl to scout 2024 NFL Draft prospects.
Smith was the third and final person to interview for the position, when he met with Mike Tomlin, Omar Khan and Art Rooney II on Sunday. Rooney said on Monday that Tomlin and Khan may continue interviews at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. but that turned out not to be the case. The Steelers, including Khan and Tomlin, were in Mobile.
Smith just fired by the Falcons after three unsuccessful seasons as their head coach. In three years running the show in Atlanta, Smith went 7-10 in each season, finishing no better than third in the NFC South.
He also was unable to find a develop a quarterback to replace franchise mainstay Matt Ryan. Smith brought Marcus Mariota, who had been with him with the Tennessee Titans, to Atlanta and also used a third-round draft pick on Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder and brought in free agent Taylor Heinicke, but none proved to be an answer at quarterback.
Smith also faced criticism for his usage of the Falcons’ skill position players, with former first-round picks Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson failing to reach their full potential.
Though things did not go well in Atlanta with Smith as the head coach, he had a strong stint as an offensive coordinator with the Titans. Smith started in Nashville as a quality control coach in 2011 and worked his way up to offensive line and tight ends coach before taking over as offensive coordinator in 2019.
The Titans finished 10th and scoring and third in rushing in his first season, leaning on a strong offensive line and the talents of running back Derrick Henry. That provided the blueprint for the franchise, as they finished fourth in scoring in 2020, all the while having a below-average passing attack.
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