The Pittsburgh Steelers are the gift that keeps on giving. They have been one of the most aggressive teams this offseason. One of those moves was to bring NFL legend, quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Now, he and Mike Tomlin‘s coaching staff have to figure out what kind of offense the team will have.
According to the Athletic’s Mike DeFabo, who covers the Steelers, Rodgers and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith are planning to spend time together to find a middle ground between a pass-happy offense and a run-heavy offense.
This is key. Rodgers was the quarterback with the second-most passes attempts in the NFL last season. As for Smith, he loves to run the football. He called the fourth-most running plays in 2024. This means that they either find a balance, or the clash of styles can derail this experiment.
Arthur Smith has had an up-and-down career
Smith created a name for himself as the Tennessee Titans’ offensive coordinator. He developed running back Derrick Henry into one of the NFL’s best. He also salvaged quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s career. Smith also developed wide receiver A.J. Brown into an incredible force to be reckoned with.
After that, the Atlanta Falcons gave Smith the chance to be a head coach. The experiment ended after three-straight years finishing with a 7-10 record. Not only that, but it was the offense one of the main concerns. He was never able to make it work, which ultimately led up to his firing.
In Pittsburgh, he’s in charge of the offense. He guided the Steelers to be a middle-of-the-pack offense, but now he has been shaping the offense to his liking.
This is an Arthur Smith offense now
Rodgers is a pocket passer with an accurate arm, which is what Smith likes. Not only that, he will have a physical run game, only this time it’s not Derrick Henry, but a committee made of Jaylen Warren and Kaleb Johnson. Last but not least, he will have a physical imposing presence as wideout in D.K. Metcalf.
Now this offense is shaped to what Smith likes. It’s all on Smith and Rodgers’ hands to make sure they establish an organized, well-balanced, play-action heavy offense to make things work.