3 reasons why Arthur Smith will be a clear improvement over Matt Canada

It didn't take long for the Steelers to sign a new offensive coordinator. They had no choice, given that they rid themselves of Matt Canada before the season 2023 season ended. A move the Steelers have only made twice in history in mid-season, coming on the heels of an embarrassing loss to the Cleveland Browns.

Their choice for offensive coordinator was Atlanta coach Arthur Smith. What will Arthur Smith bring to the Steelers? We don't have a clear answer to that question yet. However, He has a different philosophy than Matt Canada in his choice of RPOs and his passing game. Will it spell success? We must wait and see how things pan out in the regular season.

Given the alternative of having Matt Canada, there is little doubt Arthur Smith will have more success than Canada ever did while he was with the Steelers, even if it doesn't culminate into a championship. It's difficult to envision a scenario otherwise. Here are three reasons why.

Three reasons Arthur Smith will be a clear improvement over Matt Canada

First, Arthur Smith has a successful track record in the NFL, something Matt Canada never had; Canada migrated from the college ranks after being a college offensive coordinator for three schools in a three-year span, then became the Steelers quarterback coach and a year later their offensive coordinator.

Smith, on the other hand, Coached with the Titans and was influenced by Mike Munchak, Ken Whisenhunt, a former Steelers offensive coordinator, Mike Mularkey, and Mike Vrable. He became the Titans' offensive coordinator in 2019, and the Titans had their highest-scoring season in 16 years.

Considering the Steelers struggled to score 20 points a game in the last two seasons under Canada, what Smith did for the Titans speaks for itself, and it's likely whether they win or lose, the Steelers' offensive output should be significantly better.

Reason number 2

The second reason is that the weapons Arthur Smith will have to work with in the quarterback department are much better than Matt Canada's offensive weapons. Perhaps Kenny Pickett could have become a much better quarterback for Smith to work with. If he had bided his time, but the situation didn't work out that way. Thus, Canada got the short end of the stick with Pickett and Trubisky, and the offense rarely clicked. They were always in third and long situations. Smith at least has Russell Wilson and Justin Fields in either case; it's plausible that with a better talent group around them and a better offensive coordinator, either could flourish in 2024.

Plus, Arthur Smith loves to run the ball, and if the offensive line improves, it helps Najee Harris and opens the passing game. With quality quarterbacks, even if one is a bit older, dynamic things could happen in an Arthur Smith offense. It happened with Ryan Tannehill; it can happen here.

Reason number 3

The third reason is Mike Tomlin. People can bicker about whether the Steelers should go on without Tomlin, and that's fine. Still, even though his post-season credentials are lacking, he succeeds in the regular season. Hence, Tomlin's coaching skills could allow Smith to display the same success he had with Tennessee.

Tomlin's ability to bring the best out of his players only works to Arthur Smith's advantage. If that does happen, the Steelers could surprise everyone this season and even threaten the Chiefs or Bills, the two powerhouses in the AFC at the moment. Success in the NFL is never guaranteed, but the Steelers are, in many ways, a totally different team in 2024, and we are not able to judge how they may do this year against their 2023 results.

Nevertheless, Arthur Smith is a clear upgrade over Matt Canada, and fans should expect much better results, higher scoring, and lots of offensive output. It would be ultra surprising if the Steelers do not provide definitive results of them functioning at a higher level in 2024. If not, Steelers fans may break out the torches and pitchforks at the end of the season.