The Falcons fired head coach Arthur Smith following three straight 7-10 seasons. There’s no denying that all of the blame should not have been left at his feet, but that’s the nature of the business. Smith’s offense, which was the strength of the Falcons over his first two years in Atlanta, regressed significantly in year three, and the path to success with him as the head coach began to cloud significantly.
However, Arthur Smith won’t be out of the game for long if he desires to coach next season. According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the former Falcons head coach has garnered interest from more than seven teams since being fired.
Former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith has received serious interest from more than 7 teams about joining their offensive staff as the offensive coordinator, per sources.
He will have options.— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 23, 2024
One can argue that Arthur Smith was never really given a fair shot in Atlanta. The Falcons roster was barren of talent in his first two seasons as the team got out from underneath a boatload of dead cap. No head coach was going to lead those teams to the postseason. Year three was his first real opportunity with a roster capable of making the playoffs, but Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke held the team back at every turn. Not once did Arthur Smith have above average quarterback play when he was in Atlanta.
But while we will never know if Smith was cut out to be a head coach, his resume as an offensive coordinator should not be questioned. He had Ryan Tannehill playing like a top 10 quarterback, with Derrick Henry leading the league in rushing in back-to-back seasons with the Titans.
Smith’s rushing schemes are up there with the best offensive minds in the game. His passing game concepts came across as vanilla while he was in Atlanta, but it’s difficult to judge him for the last two years given Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, and Taylor Heinicke were under center — none of which are starting caliber NFL quarterbacks. In his last season in Atlanta — Smith’s first with the Falcons —Â Matt Ryan threw for nearly 4,000 yards on a 67% completion percentage. Kyle Pitts also caught for over 1,000 yards as a rookie.
Not everyone is cut out to be a head coach, but Arthur Smith can still certainly offer a team value as a play caller.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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