The NFL coaching cycle is a constantly changing beast, and all eyes are constantly keyed in on who can ascend the ranks to be a potential head coach. Teams have become quick to pull the plug on coaches, which means assistant coordinators are constantly the focus of potentially making that jump to head coach in the offseason. For the Pittsburgh Steelers, that may mean already losing Arthur Smith after just two seasons.
Despite only an ok season last year on offense, Smith saw some league-wide interest as a potential head coach. It seems like he was the runner-up for the Jets job, and had Aaron Glenn decided against taking it, Smith would be in New York as we speak.
With the offense making significant improvements this year, Smith already seems like an early head coach candidate. With the Titans already parting ways with their head coach, a reunion akin to Mike Vrebal going back to the Patriots is already heavily speculated on.
The fact of the matter is, Smith doesn’t seem long for Pittsburgh. Even if the Titans go elsewhere in the offseason, Smith could still be a popular name amongst the head coaching ranks.
Thankfully, the Steelers have an obvious replacement to target in Mike McDaniel from the Dolphins. In fact, he could even play a vital role in the offense, taking the next step for a variety of reasons.
The Pittsburgh Steelers would be wise to target Mike McDaniel as their next offensive coordinator
McDaniel looked like a coach on the rise. He provided the 49ers with an electric offense as their offensive coordinator a few years back, and the Dolphins found instant success with him at the helm.
However, it seems like Tua Tagovailoa has been figured out by the league, and given his injury history, the offense has had to go into a shell to protect him.
Meanwhile, McDaniel has failed to do the proper job of a head coach and motivate his players to overcome this. The Dolphins look like they have already folded, and that is a testament to McDaniel’s failures as a head coach.
He won’t have that same responsibility as an offensive coordinator, though. Given his youth and just the simple fact that some coordinators aren’t meant to be great head coaches, I would still have faith in McDaniel as an offensive mind.
He creates a very quarterback-friendly system. He got the most out of Jimmy Garoppolo when he was the starter in San Francisco, while also making Tagovailoa look like a star initially. Neither of those quarterbacks is elite, yet the system they were in hid their deficiencies.
The Steelers will likely be adding a rookie quarterback next year, and having a friendly system can ease that player’s development. Smith needs a refined quarterback who may not need to be elite, but has to be in command and have the nuances of the position down.
If Smith is added as a head coach elsewhere, McDaniel makes the most sense to fill his spot. He can help this offense accommodate a developing rookie quarterback. His tenure as head coach proved he wasn’t ready for that responsibility, but McDaniel can still provide the Steelers with a quality offensive coach.
