Steelers, Arthur Smith in danger of losing out on obvious free agent target

The Pittsburgh Steelers looked to revitalize their offense this past season by firing offensive coordinator Matt Canada. Replacing him full-time is former Atlanta Falcons head coach and Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who is tasked with trying to make the offense more productive, especially at quarterback. With the team seemingly sticking by Kenny Pickett for another year, one option could have been to give him more pass-catchers

There was one free agent that made too much sense due in part to their relationship with Smith. Now, things are trending in the wrong direction for the Steelers.

According to ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter, former Falcons tight end Jonnu Smith visited the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday, and the two sides are in contract negotiations. This comes a matter of days after Smith was released by the Falcons.

Former Falcons TE Jonnu Smith in contract negotiations with Dolphins

The free-agent tight end had a long relationship with the former Falcons head coach. Before his one-season stint in Atlanta, Jonnu was in Tennessee, where Arthur was his tight ends coach and later offensive coordinator.

During his four years with the Titans, the tight end thrived, catching 114 passes for 1,302 yards and 16 touchdowns on 169 targets. That earned him a payday when he hit free agency at the end of the 2020 season, signing a four-year, $50 million contract with the New England Patriots.

After two years, the Patriots traded Smith to Atlanta to reunite with his former coach. To say that the Falcons head coach prioritized utilizing the tight end, as he was on the field for 653 snaps, the 10th most on the team. Just ahead of Smith was Kyle Pitts, who received 726 snaps.

In his lone season with the Falcons, Smith caught 50-of-69 targets for 582 yards and three touchdowns, per Pro Football Focus.

Upon the Falcons hiring Raheem Morris as the new head coach, the team released the tight end from his contract. Now, he is free to sign elsewhere at any time and appears to be working on a deal to join the Dolphins. Miami's offense thrived for the majority of the season, with Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Raheem Mostert all thriving. Adding a big red zone target at tight end could be a solid move for Miami.

As for the Steelers, they do have pretty deep depth at tight end anyway, with Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington on the roster. But with the ex-Falcons head coach working with the offense, fans put the pieces together about another potential reunion with the ex-Titans and Falcons tight end.