The Steelers have a few offensive coaching positions to fill after naming Arthur Smith their new offensive coordinator. Could a former Raven fill one of the vacancies?
Pittsburgh’s 93.7 The Fan’s Dorin Dickerson believes there’s a strong case for former Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. to be the team’s new wide receivers coach after it parted ways with Frisman Jackson, who held the role for the past two seasons.
“He’s to the point,” Dickerson said of Smith Sr. “He played that way, and he still acts that way when you see him on NFL Network. He’s a no-nonsense type of wide receiver. He would go in there and be a culture, no-nonsense builder.”
Smith Sr. would certainly bring a blue-collar type of attitude to the Steelers wide receiver room, which was highly criticized for a lack of effort in 2023. However, he hasn’t had any coaching experience since hanging up his cleats following the 2016 season.
If Smith Sr. is interested in breaking into coaching, it wouldn’t hurt for Pittsburgh to do its homework on the 44-year-old, who finished his career as the Panthers all-time leader in receptions (836), receiving yards (12,197) and receiving touchdowns (67).
Dickerson was joined by station sports director Jeff Hathorne and The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly, both of whom weren’t against the idea of adding Smith Sr. to the Steelers coaching staff. But they did provide caution about adding Smith Sr., who seems happy in his role with NFL Network.
Another potential name to watch is former Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward. He was an offensive intern with the team in 2017 before serving as a Jets offensive assistant from 2019-20.
Ward obviously has a familiarity with Pittsburgh and could bring a similar attitude to the team as one of the best blocking wide receivers in NFL history.
Only time will tell who the Steelers will decide to hire. But Smith Sr. and Ward both have compelling arguments and would bring a much-needed change in attitude to a highly criticized wide receiver room.
