Former Titans OT Taylor Lewan praises Steelers’ OC Arthur Smith

Smith was Lewan’s offensive coordinator from 2019-20

The Steelers named former Atlanta Falcons head coach and Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith their new offensive coordinator last week. It’s a decision that brought in mixed reviews from the fanbase, but received audible praise from one of Smith’s former players.

Former Tennessee Titans offensive tackle, and current co-host of Bussin’ With The Boys Taylor Lewan gave audible praise to Smith while appearing on The Rich Eisen Show.

“Arthur Smith is the reason why we made it to the 2019 AFC Championship Game,” Lewan said. “He’s gonna walk in there and take pressure off whoever the quarterback is going to be. Najee Harris is the guy who will smile the most when the season ends about how he’s utilized throughout that offense.”

The biggest criticism of Smith is his utilization, or lack thereof, of his best players in 2023. Which is an understandable component and reason to push back on the hire. However, in that 2019 season in which Tennessee made it to within a game of the Super Bowl, the Titans were ninth in the league in points per game and sixth in the NFL in EPA per play.