Jonnu Smith is a major addition to the Steelers' offense. He may even give the Steelers, along with Pat Freiermuth, the most dangerous duo at tight end in the NFL.
Though, prior to the first training camp practice on Thursday afternoon, Smith indicated there's work to be done first.
"We've gotta prove it," Smith said. "You can say all that, if you want. But we've gotta prove it. On paper, we are. But, we've gotta go out there and prove it."
Regardless of whether they are or not, it's a much needed weapon for an offense that was in need of firepower. Some of the pieces are more obvious. Freiermuth and Smith are part of it. So is DK Metcalf, who takes over for George Pickens as the top dog in the wide receiver room. And, of course, adding four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers gives the Steelers perhaps the best quarterback they've had since Ben Roethlisberger's arm blew up in Week 2 of the 2019 season.
However, the rest of the pieces are a bit more in flux. The remainder of the receiver room has quite a bit to prove. Calvin Austin III took a big step forward in 2024, but did most of his damage from the slot, not on the outside. Roman Wilson played only four snaps in his rookie season, and he was primarily a slot receiver at Michigan. Robert Woods has had a nice career, but how much juice does he have left?
At running back, how will Jaylen Warren fare in his first crack at being the feature back? Is Kaleb Johnson capable of stealing touches from Warren with what he does on the fields at Saint Vincent College?
And, last but certainly not least, the young offensive line will remain the biggest concern among fans until they prove otherwise.
So, what gives a newcomer such as Smith optimism that this can be a successful unit? Specifically, a more explosive, consistent unit than last season?
"Experience, from the top down," Smith said. "We've got a former head coach, and (Arthur Smith) has had a lot of success as an offensive coordinator. It starts there. Obviously, Aaron leading us. I mean, those two components right there. And there are a lot of pieces to this puzzle that we're trying to put together. ... It's an exciting time for us, and for Steelers fans, as well."
There's no doubt the experience at important positions such as offensive coordinator and quarterback help a lot. Just having Rodgers be able to get the offense into the right play at the line of scrimmage is a weapon in and of itself.
As for the remaining pieces, it helps that they're a better fit for how Arthur Smith has coached his offenses previously. Jonnu Smith has been part of that multiple times, including two seasons in Tennessee, in which the Titans had a top-10 and top-five offense, respectively. In addition, the running back room is a much better fit for Arthur Smith's wide/outside zone scheme.
Of course, we have yet to see how everything plays out on the field, but this year's offense has more ammunition than the 2024 unit. And training camp is the time to figure out how to best utilize those weapons, especially the versatile ones such as Jonnu Smith.
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THE ASYLUM
Smith one piece of larger puzzle
Jonnu Smith is a major addition to the Steelers' offense. He may even give the Steelers, along with Pat Freiermuth, the most dangerous duo at tight end in the NFL.
Though, prior to the first training camp practice on Thursday afternoon, Smith indicated there's work to be done first.
"We've gotta prove it," Smith said. "You can say all that, if you want. But we've gotta prove it. On paper, we are. But, we've gotta go out there and prove it."
Regardless of whether they are or not, it's a much needed weapon for an offense that was in need of firepower. Some of the pieces are more obvious. Freiermuth and Smith are part of it. So is DK Metcalf, who takes over for George Pickens as the top dog in the wide receiver room. And, of course, adding four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers gives the Steelers perhaps the best quarterback they've had since Ben Roethlisberger's arm blew up in Week 2 of the 2019 season.
However, the rest of the pieces are a bit more in flux. The remainder of the receiver room has quite a bit to prove. Calvin Austin III took a big step forward in 2024, but did most of his damage from the slot, not on the outside. Roman Wilson played only four snaps in his rookie season, and he was primarily a slot receiver at Michigan. Robert Woods has had a nice career, but how much juice does he have left?
At running back, how will Jaylen Warren fare in his first crack at being the feature back? Is Kaleb Johnson capable of stealing touches from Warren with what he does on the fields at Saint Vincent College?
And, last but certainly not least, the young offensive line will remain the biggest concern among fans until they prove otherwise.
So, what gives a newcomer such as Smith optimism that this can be a successful unit? Specifically, a more explosive, consistent unit than last season?
"Experience, from the top down," Smith said. "We've got a former head coach, and (Arthur Smith) has had a lot of success as an offensive coordinator. It starts there. Obviously, Aaron leading us. I mean, those two components right there. And there are a lot of pieces to this puzzle that we're trying to put together. ... It's an exciting time for us, and for Steelers fans, as well."
There's no doubt the experience at important positions such as offensive coordinator and quarterback help a lot. Just having Rodgers be able to get the offense into the right play at the line of scrimmage is a weapon in and of itself.
As for the remaining pieces, it helps that they're a better fit for how Arthur Smith has coached his offenses previously. Jonnu Smith has been part of that multiple times, including two seasons in Tennessee, in which the Titans had a top-10 and top-five offense, respectively. In addition, the running back room is a much better fit for Arthur Smith's wide/outside zone scheme.
Of course, we have yet to see how everything plays out on the field, but this year's offense has more ammunition than the 2024 unit. And training camp is the time to figure out how to best utilize those weapons, especially the versatile ones such as Jonnu Smith.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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