Steelers Terrific Scheme According to Cosell...

Smith is a terrific fit for the Steelers’ offensive scheme, according to Cosell

The NFL Films expert believes that adding offensive coordinator Arthur Smith to the team to oversee the offence was a wise move by Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

Furthermore, Cosell finds it intriguing to see how Smith, a former play caller for the Titans and head coach of the Falcons, will approach the Steelers.

Cosell stated, “He’s been a run-game guy,” on Steelers Nation Radio on Wednesday during his appearance at the NFL Scouting Combine. He has experience playing with many tight ends as a base personnel guy. He has acted in this manner. So, the question is: Will he act in Pittsburgh in that manner?

“Obviously, the run game was the cornerstone of Tennessee’s offence when he was there because they had Derrick Henry. Thus, once more, the question is: Does he really believe this? Or was this really a personnel issue? Atlanta clearly lacked a strong wide receiver core while having two talented running backs. It seems quite clear to me that Mike Tomlin wants to play a certain style of football, and he may view Arthur Smith as a member of that physical football team that grinds it out and runs the ball, where those plays have a significant role in the game.”

That would be a good fit for the Steelers’ current roster. With Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris, the Steelers have a potent running back duo. Additionally, they have tight ends that have demonstrated their ability to perform effectively in the NFL in Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, and Connor Heyward. They also have two wide receivers at their disposal in George Pickens and Diontae Johnson, both of whom have surpassed 1,000 yards in a single season.

In 2023, the Steelers ranked 13th in the NFL in terms of average rushing yards per game. However, during their final 10 games of the season, they averaged 145.2 rushing yards per game.

For Cosell, it is imperative that Smith maximises his potential from quarterback Kenny Pickett.

About Pickett, Cosell remarked, “You need him to be highly efficient.” “You want to be able to hit those plays when you go for shot plays because if you’re going to build around the run game with multiple tight ends, you’ll be calling the shot play knowing what the defence will do, which means you need him to be able to connect on those plays. After that, you must convert third downs.”

Pickett’s results from his first season weren’t all that dissimilar from his second season as a starter. After making 12 starts, he finished 62 percent of his throws for 2,070 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions before sustaining an ankle injury that kept him out of the game for the rest of the campaign.

Mason Rudolph started the final three games of the season, and the Steelers won all three of those games, which helped them qualify for the playoffs. Additionally, Tomlin continued to play Rudolph, the team’s hot hand, during the playoff defeat to the Bills.

Though they would prefer to add some competition as Pickett enters his third season—whether it comes from Rudolph, who is expected to become an unrestricted free agent—or someone else, the Steelers have voiced confidence in Pickett’s future.

Cosell thinks Pickett might still be successful in the NFL.

“I thought he was the best quarterback in that draft class, but I didn’t think he was, ‘Oh, my God special,'” recalled Cosell. But I believed he had the potential to be a strong starter. That phrase is also relative. Of course, it depends on your group, plan, and teammates. Kenny Pickett doesn’t seem to be on a team where he must score thirty points a week.

On Wednesday, off-ball linebackers dominated the NFL Scouting Combine, with one player in particular having prior ties to the Steelers.

Cedric Grey, a linebacker for North Carolina, has a No. 43 tattooed on his left arm, which is noteworthy because Grey previously played for the Tar Heels wearing No. 33.

Why is 43?

Growing up, Troy Polamalu was one of Gray’s favourite players, he remarked on Wednesday. “Just the effort he played with, the tenacity and physicality that he played with, I try to model myself after that and play like that today.”

Polamalu was a powerful safety, but Grey is a 6-foot-2, 232-pound linebacker. However, Grey, like Polamalu, packs the stat sheets in a variety of ways.

Grey has 195 tackles in the last three seasons, including 29 for a loss, five interceptions, 8.5 sacks, and five fumbles forced.

Grey aims to demonstrate his physicality and covering skills when he enters the field for exercises here on Thursday. Grey fits into the Steelers’ 3-4 defence as an inside linebacker.

“I feel like I move well for a linebacker,” Grey stated. “I believe my ball skills are excellent. I believe I made a few of interceptions where you can see the application of those ball skills—knowing how wide receivers conduct routes, even down to the small details and various cues they might use. You know what’s going to happen. Thus, I am certain that it has really benefited me.”

Playing next to one other at Texas were two of the best defensive tackles available in this year’s draft. Despite playing the same position, T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy couldn’t have been more alike in appearance.
Sweat is described as 6-foot-4 and 362 pounds, while Murphy is 6-foot-1 and 308 pounds.
The Longhorns in 2023 were shaped by that pair, who are both expected to be picked in the first two rounds of this year’s draft.
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“Playing next to T’Vondre, I just wanna say it was a blessing just to play with him,” Murphy stated. “When we play together, I make things simpler for him and he makes things easier for me. We just kept pushing each other to be the best every single day. In addition to competing daily, we made significant contributions to the defensive line leadership. I believe we guided them correctly.”
The defensive line group’s weigh-ins are scheduled for this Thursday, and many have already expressed concerns about Sweat’s potential weight.
The nation’s top interior lineman, the 2023 Outland Trophy Award winner, is unconcerned despite being the lone player to forego weigh-ins at the Senior Bowl.
“Last year, I played at 365, and that’s where I’m comfortable at,” Sweat stated. “We must learn to embrace our bodies, and as you can see, this is who I am. I have a large physique and am a big guy by nature. I simply grew into my body.”
Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan will be available to the media on Thursday afternoon after attending to a personal matter.