Since Arthur Smith joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as offensive coordinator, it's safe to say that fans have mixed reviews. Part of that might've been Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, sure, but his scheme hasn't exactly lit the world on fire either. What's been worse, however, is that the front office has continued to bring in familiar faces for Smith, and they've done it again with QB Logan Woodside.
Woodside, who was on the Tennessee Titans when Smith was the offensive coordinator in Nashville, signed with the Steelers officially on Thursday after news that rookie quarterback Will Howard will be out for most if not all of the NFL preseason with a finger injury. Now, he'll likely be thrown quickly into the fold and possibly even see the field just days after signing in Pittsburgh.
To be clear, Woodside very much feels like a placeholder and nothing more. At the same time, turning to a player familiar with Smith is a troubling trend that's been ongoing in the year plus that he's been with the Steelers.
After this latest move, the Steelers have now added six different offensive skill position players with ties to Smith since he joined the organization in the 2024 offseason. Woodside joins WR Scotty Miller, WR Van Jefferson, TE MyCole Pruitt, TE Jonnu Smith, and RB Cordarrelle Patterson. What you'll notice about this group is, with the exception of Smith and Woodside who have yet to play a snap for Pittsburgh, those guys haven't exactly lit the world on fire after reuniting with Smith.
And therein lies the problem that the Steelers are facing with Smith.
Arthur Smith is holding Steelers offense back with more than just his scheme
While Smith's offense in itself hasn't been inspiring since he had the luxury of giving the rock to Derrick Henry nearly 30 times per game in Tennessee, that might actually be secondary to some of the questions he's creating in Pittsburgh right now.
Particularly when you look at the pass-catchers, continuing to bring in players that Smith is familiar with quite obviously hasn't worked out to this point. The results have been middling at best and entirely negligible at worst. What's more, the Steelers haven't been in a position to afford that with their additions, especially when considering that the receiver depth has been a concern for not just this season, but the 2025 campaign especially.
Placating Smith's familiarity with players could be construed as actively holding the Steelers offense back just as much as his play-calling and decision-making. And that could all be coming to a head this year now that Aaron Rodgers is in the building.
Aaron Rodgers and Arthur Smith might be heading toward a power struggle
Rodgers, of course, is infamously particular with both the players he trusts and how he likes to run the offense. While there are still questions about if the new Steelers quarterback is even 85% of what he once was in Green Bay, a tiger doesn't change his stripes all too easily and it's reasonable to expect more of the same. But in relation to Smith, that could create a divisive environment.
If Smith's continuous run of bringing in his former players to Pittsburgh is any indication, he's also clinging on to his old ways in many cases. He's going to be stubborn to change, which creates a tricky dynamic between him and Rodgers. And it'll be intriguing and, frankly, direly important to the Steelers' success who wins that struggle for power, or if they find some middle-ground resolution.