Arthur

Smith

Alrighty then. The former Titans OC and Falcons head coach had been riding the NFL interview circuit, meeting with clubs about both head-coaching and play-calling vacancies, but evidently wasn’t gaining the traction he hoped for. He now (reportedly) heads to what has become a coaching turnaround factory in Columbus, somewhat hilariously forming a coordinating tandem with Matt Patricia. 43-year-old Smith has extremely limited NCAA experience aside from low-level, one-year stints at UNC and Ole Miss. It’s not an amazing hire on paper, but talent trumps all at OSU. Smith will have enough of it to be positioned for success.

Smith was with the Titans from 2011 until 2020, when he left to take the role of the Falcons’ head coach. The veteran offensive play-caller has fielded several requests from other teams regarding their offensive coordinator vacancies, and was most recently passed on by the Chargers in favor of Mike McDaniel. Smith’s run-loving ways could pair well in Tennessee for a team short on receiver talent, but he would have his work cut out for him to help turn around what was one of the worst offenses in the league last season.

Smith remains one of the hottest candidates on the market, with multiple teams expressing interest in his services as their offensive coordinator or next head coach. Smith led the Steelers’ to a 15th ranked finish in points scored this season, but they averaged the eighth-fewest yards per game. Unless he returns as the next head coach of the Steelers, his time in the Steel City will likely come to an end in the near future.

The news comes from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac, who notes that Smith “will also interview with the Detroit Lions to be their offensive coordinator.” The implication seems to be that Smith will speak to the Lions on Friday as well.

The Lions are in need of a new OC after firing John Morton. Morton lasted one season on the job and was stripped of play-calling duties late in the year. Head coach Dan Campbell took over that responsibility from Week 10 onward. The offense got more aggressive under Campebll but wasn’t that much more successful. Campbell is expected to give over play-calling duties to his next coordinator. Smith would likely get a lot out of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, but his history of run-first football would not bode well for Jared Goff and the rest of the passing attack. For a team chasing the loss of offensive guru Ben Johnson, Smith would be a markedly underwhelming hire.

Smith, still technically the Steelers’ offensive coordinator, is apparently a hot name on the head coaching circuit right now. The Titans are slated to talk with Smith — who once coached Tennessee’s offense — about their head coaching vacancy and now the Cardinals are interested after firing Jonathan Gannon after his disastrous run as Arizona’s head coach. Smith would likely oversee a rebuild in Arizona, with the team seemingly intent on moving on from Kyler Murray. A run-heavy play caller, Smith’s Steelers ranked sixth in rushing success rate and seventh in rushing EPA in 2025.

Though Smith technically remains the Steelers OC, he’ll be elsewhere in 2026 after head coach Mike Tomlin stepped down on Tuesday afternoon. Smith served as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator from 2019 to 2020, creating a dominant run-heavy offense quarterbacked by Ryan Tannehill. If the Titans bring back Smith as the team’s head coach, he would likely install a similarly run-first offense around QB Cam Ward. Probably it wouldn’t be a great development for Ward’s fantasy prospects in 2026 and beyond. Smith’s Steelers offense in 2025 ranked 18th in EPA per play. They had the league’s sixth highest rushing success rate.

These are both very logical fits as GM Mike Borgonzi has worked with Nagy on the Chiefs and Smith was a long-time Titans OC under Mike Vrabel. There’s familiarity with both of them in the building. Neither hire would be particularly inspiring as failed head coaches in Atlanta and Chicago, respectively. But of course it’s going to take a while for the coaching candidate cycle to truly pick up and we don’t know yet who will emerge as a new name.

Smith is also reportedly a candidate for the Bears job after helping the Steelers reach the playoffs in 2024. It’s worth noting that his previous head coaching gig with the Falcons didn’t work out very well, and the Pittsburgh offense didn’t exactly shine at the end of the season. Still, Smith obviously has some heat, and seems like a strong candidate to ultimately end up coaching the Jets in 2025.

Smith has done a solid job in Pittsburgh this year, even if it remains memeworthy how often Cordarrelle Patterson will pop up in a big moment. The former Falcons head coach has three consecutive 7-10 years under his NFL belt as a head coach in Atlanta, as well as three highly-regarded years with the Titans and now Steelers as an offensive coordinator. The Bears are reportedly trying to find both a “leader of men” type as well as someone who can spark Caleb Williams’ development.