When the Pittsburgh Steelers hired offensive coordinator Arthur Smith last offseason, the response was lukewarm at best. He had coached the Atlanta Falcons to a 7-10 record three years in a row before he was fired.
But there was some hope for optimism dating back to his time as the offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans. He had helped resurrect QB Ryan Tannehill’s career there. So optimistic people thought he might be able to do the same with either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields. And Fields did show signs of progress, specifically posting a career-high 65.8 completion percentage.