LATROBE, Pa. — When the Pittsburgh Steelers hired Arthur Smith to reinvigorate their stagnant offense, his five-year history as a play caller (two seasons with the Tennessee Titans from 2019 to 2020 and three with the Atlanta Falcons from 2021 to 2023) provided some clues about the type of system he’d install.
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But in a new setting, there was still some question about how the new offensive coordinator would use the Steelers’ personnel to shape his philosophy. Through the first six practices of training camp at Saint Vincent College, Smith’s words and the team’s actions have underscored some of the elements that will become staples of his offense.
Let’s look at a few things we’ve learned.
Creative use of tight ends
Smith’s track record shows he might be one of the most tight-end-friendly offensive coordinators in the league.
Under Smith last season, the Falcons led the league with 32.2 plays per game out of either 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) or 13 personnel (one back, three tight ends), per TruMedia. That element has been obvious in camp, as the Steelers have routinely deployed three tight ends at the same time.
Most interesting is how many ways Smith is using a versatile position group. In some instances, the Steelers might simply go big and play bully ball. Other times, they have used pre-snap shifts and motions to their advantage.
For example, they can break the huddle and have all three tight ends detached from the line of scrimmage and a running back split out wide to create an empty look. From there, they can either run a play (Atlanta ranked in the middle of the league with 91 plays out of empty formations last year, according to TruMedia) or motion into a more traditional three-tight formation.
In other instances, they can use the pre-snap motions as a coverage indicator to get receiver George Pickens in a one-on-one situation, something we’ve seen repeatedly near the goal line.
“Some weeks, you may like a more heavy game plan depending on who’s up and what you think gives you the advantage, especially early downs,” Smith said. “Some weeks you may be more wide open. It just depends on the matchup. … But it certainly gives you an advantage when you’ve got (tight ends) who can play multiple spots to change formations week in and week out or series to series.”
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The Falcons’ tight ends also ranked first in receiving yards (1,380) and fifth in receptions (114) under Smith in 2023. That’s good news for Pat Freiermuth, the most well-rounded of the Steelers’ tight ends. But all the focus on the position should also allow Darnell Washington to show his versatile skill set and become a more active participant in the passing game. And it should give Connor Heyward chances to contribute as a traditional tight end, detached from the line of scrimmage and in the backfield as an H-back.
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“You just don’t want to become obvious, right?” Smith said. “(You don’t want it to be) every time this guy’s in on this formation, we’re only doing that. So we need everybody involved. It will be week to week in how we want to scheme it up.”
Return of the fullback?
Though the fullback has fallen out of favor in the NFL, there’s a chance Smith will make it a regular part of his offense this year.
The Falcons embraced the position more than almost every other team. Last season, Atlanta utilized two-back formations on more than 30 percent of their offensive snaps, according to TruMedia, trailing only the San Francisco 49ers (47 percent) and Miami Dolphins (44). Over the past three seasons in Atlanta, fullback Keith Smith played between 21 and 25 percent of the offensive snaps as a regular contributor.
Jack Colletto, a 2023 undrafted free agent who initially signed with the 49ers before joining the Steelers’ practice squad in October, has been taking most of the fullback snaps in different situations in camp. Heyward and Washington have aligned in the backfield with their hand in the dirt in other formations.
Arthur Smith said Keith Smith was able to become a valuable piece for the Falcons because he was also a core special-teamer, which provided the roster flexibility to make him active each week. Reading between the lines, it would seem Colletto’s ability to contribute on special teams might determine whether he makes the 53-man roster and how much the Steelers feature the position.
“There’s a big picture involved,” Smith said. “You don’t live in fullback, I-formation, offset. It’s an advantage if you have that guy up, but that guy has also got to help in other spots.”
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Lots of motion
Pre-snap motions and shifts in Matt Canada’s offense sometimes drew the ire of fans. Though this will remain an important part of Smith’s offense, he’ll be doing it in a much more calculated way. Often, the Steelers gave away tendencies last year based on their formation and pre-snap shifts. This year, it seems they’ll be using it more to keep opponents off-balance.
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Plenty of pistol and read-option
When the Falcons acquired Marcus Mariota ahead of the 2022 season, Smith began introducing more pistol formations — with the running back aligned directly behind the QB in a short shotgun — as a way to put the QB in situations similar to his Heisman Trophy-winning campaign at Oregon.
With several mobile QBs on the Steelers’ roster, that trend will likely continue. Smith explained that it prevents the defense from taking a cue from which side the running back is aligned.
“It just keeps the defense honest,” Smith said. “You don’t have tendencies. Sometimes maybe on early downs, (if the back is) offset to the tight end or offset away, it’s giving up tendencies. It allows you to do your whole package. Then, if you’ve got quarterbacks that can run, then you add the zone-read element to it and you’re making people defend them more.”
Russell Wilson and Justin Fields have been successful running zone-read plays during their careers. No matter who wins this so-called “competition,” there should be a heavy dose of this concept in the Steelers’ offense.
“(Fields) is a dangerous football player with the ball in his hands,” Smith said. “So it allows you to get creative.”
OL intensity and playing style
One thing that’s been obvious since the Steelers hired Smith is that they plan to be a physical team that leans on the running game. Smith made that no secret when he introduced himself to the team with a presentation, during which he outlined how he hopes to have the most physical offense in the league.
That toughness comes with an edge, something that was evident Wednesday when rookie linemen Troy Fautanu and Mason McCormick ignited a camp fight to protect Fields.
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“There’s a fine line,” Smith said. “When you’re pushed to the edge, when it comes to the quarterback, those guys care. So nobody wants anything that hurts the team, but those guys stood up for the quarterbacks. It’s a fine line. There’s a lot going on there. I love the way the line competes and that mentality.”
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In terms of how the line will function, the Steelers have been repping a lot of outside zone runs, something that’s been a staple of Smith’s offense in the past. But they’ve also shown some gap-scheme work during padded practices. Some of the elements that were successful last year, like pulling athletic tackle Broderick Jones, are likely to eventually be part of the offense as well.
Steelers OC Arthur Smith on rookie center Zach Frazier: "The good thing is you don't even notice him because he's operating so cleanly. We've seen that the last couple of days and that's a positive. He's been stout in the middle."
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) August 1, 2024
Commitment to getting Pickens the ball
One of the biggest criticisms of Smith during his time in Atlanta was that he didn’t draw up enough plays to highlight his best playmakers. Smith seemed to allude to this point during a one-on-one interview with the Steelers’ team website when he was asked what he learned in Atlanta as the head coach.
“There were some good lessons learned and some tough lessons,” Smith said. “It will help me here, especially with some of the young players that we have and how you fit the offense and try to play to those young guys’ strengths.”
Capitalizing on Pickens’ unique skill set should be near the top of that list. Through the first six practices, it’s been noticeable how often the Steelers have targeted the third-year receiver, especially close to the red zone. It wasn’t a surprise to see them dial up a play for Pickens that resulted in a touchdown Thursday to close out the first-team offense’s two-minute drill period.
“I was fired up to see him make a play at the end of the two-minute drive,” Smith said. “His growth and development — George is a very instinctive football player. He sees the game well, and (there are) different ways to use George. I’ve really so far enjoyed working with George. And he’s producing. He’s a critical part of our offense.”
(Photo: Barry Reeger / USA Today)
