Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith before a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 1, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
After another shakeup on offense, this time acquiring tight end Jonnu Smith, it is starting to look like the Pittsburgh Steelers may be building their unit based on a blueprint of past success.
Arthur Smith’s most productive year as an offensive coordinator came in 2019 with the Tennessee Titans. That season, the Titans ranked in the top five in points per game at 27.5, second in rushing yards per game with 153.3, and first in red-zone touchdown percentage at 75 percent. Tennessee earned a playoff berth and upset the Baltimore Ravens 28 to 12 in the AFC divisional round.
Smith’s play-action-heavy, quarterback-friendly system helped revive Ryan Tannehill’s career, leading the league in passer rating that season. And now, it’s hard to ignore the growing similarities between the 2025 Steelers and that Titans team.
The Steelers now feature a deep and versatile tight end room filled with players who can line up in multiple spots. They have a veteran quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, still capable of making throws and managing the game at a high level. They also have a fast, physical deep threat in DK Metcalf on the outside.
The biggest difference between the two teams lies in the backfield. The 2019 Titans leaned on Derrick Henry, a generational workhorse back who could carry the offense. Pittsburgh doesn’t have a player of Henry’s caliber, but they do feature Jaylen Warren, a proven and efficient change-of-pace option, and rookie Kaleb Johnson, who is already being viewed as a potential Day 2 steal.
Smith’s offense has never been flashy, but it thrives on efficiency, deception and toughness. It begins with establishing a strong downhill run game. By using tight ends to create extra gaps and outnumber defenses, Smith forces opponents to adjust by committing safeties to the box. That’s when the play-action game opens up, when defensive structure begins to break down.
Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith (9) runs a route against the Houston Texans in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec 15, 2024 in Houston. (AP Photo/Maria Lysaker)
This philosophy is built on the art of disguise. When heavy personnel groupings and condensed formations, typically used in the run game, are used to launch passing concepts, defenses are forced to hesitate. And that’s when the big plays happen.
While the Steelers may lack depth at receiver, they do have Metcalf, a rare size-speed talent with similarities to A.J. Brown, who also broke out in that Titans system. Both played together at Ole Miss and offer that same big-play ability that Smith’s offense thrives on when defenses overcommit to stopping the run.
The addition of Jonnu Smith only furthers that vision. According to Pro Football Focus, 64 percent of his 2024 snaps came from the slot or lined up out wide, despite being listed as a tight end. This gives Pittsburgh the flexibility to create mismatches. In packages featuring Jonnu Smith, Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington, the team can flex one or more tight ends out wide while keeping others in-line, forcing defenses to guess run or pass without any personnel changes.
That type of versatility is likely why Arthur Smith has brought Jonnu with him to every team where he has coordinated.
There’s also reason to believe Rodgers could experience a late-career resurgence similar to, if not greater than, Tannehill’s in 2019. Rodgers came just shy of 4,000 passing yards last season and showed flashes of the accuracy and field control that made him one of the game’s greats. The only area of rust appeared to be mobility, but Smith’s system doesn’t ask much of that. With deep drops and play-action at its core, Rodgers will be operating on structure, not improvisation.
This scheme may also feel familiar. Before Arthur Smith became the Titans’ offensive coordinator, he served as tight ends coach under offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur, who left for Green Bay the following season and helped guide Rodgers to one of his MVP campaigns. The system overlap should make for a smooth transition.
Smith has yet to replicate his 2019 success in other stops, but he also hasn’t had this level of talent to work with. In Pittsburgh, he inherits one of the league’s most complete tight end rooms, a future Hall of Fame quarterback and a freakish athlete in Metcalf.
If everything clicks, Rodgers and the Steelers might just resurrect the offensive identity that once made Smith one of the NFL’s most intriguing play-callers.
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