Former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith had his name connected to several NFL jobs this offseason, and it seemed likely he was going to land as an offensive coordinator somewhere new. He did. It just was not in the NFL. It was in college.
Arthur Smith finalizing deal with Ohio State to be new offensive coordinator
According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Saturday, Smith is finalizing a deal to become the new offensive coordinator for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Smith was the Steelers offensive coordinator for the past two seasons, overseeing an offense that was led by a revolving door of veteran quarterbacks (Justin Fields, Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers) and short on consistent playmakers at wide receiver.
Given the age and declining skills of his starting quarterbacks, as well as the lack of playmakers on offense, Smith did a solid job maximizing what the Steelers offense could do. They finished 15th and 16th in points scored during his two seasons, after finishing 21st, 26th and 28th in the previous three seasons prior to his arrival.
It was better, but still not great. Especially in terms of creating big plays in the passing game or generating offense in the playoffs.
He became available this offseason when former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin resigned following the team’s wild-card loss to the Houston Texans.
