'I've had to adapt': Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith lining up his new chess pieces at training camp

PITTSBURGH — It was a sad start to the summer for Arthur Smith, who was two days into a 10-day vacation in Italy when he learned his father, Fred, passed away at age 80. Fred Smith was founder and chairman of delivery giant FedEx who directed a partnership with the PGA Tour that donated more than $43 million to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. "He was a great man," Smith said. "He wasn't a big golfer, but he valued that sponsorship. The money they raised for St. Jude is a really cool deal." Fred Smith was also a former Marine, and he imparted a mindset on his son that has become an essential element of what the second-year offensive coordinator is trying to accomplish at Saint Vincent College. Arthur Smith is trying to take the many new pieces in his offense and determine what they do best and how to mesh them with each other. Time is of the essence, too, because two of the key pieces — quarterback Aaron Rodgers and tight end/H-back Jonnu Smith — were late arrivals and didn't participate in the offseason. "I've had to adapt," Smith said. "I give my old man a lot of credit, being an ex-Marine and adapting to situational awareness and always evolving. That's what we've done every year. Things we did from year to year, you played to your strengths and try to fit the strengths to your team. Necessity forces you to adapt." There is plenty of necessity this year, more so than any other in recent memory. The Steelers have four new faces at quarterback, two at running back, two at wide receiver and one at tight end. The only offensive unit devoid of new people is the line. The keys, of course, are Rodgers and receiver DK Metcalf. After 1½ weeks of training camp, it is apparent they are building their own relationship on the field, not just off the field as dormitory roommates. But it's the other players Smith is trying to fit together. How does rookie running back Kaleb Johnson fit with Jaylen Warren in a rotational system? How is Kenneth Gainwell, one of the standouts of training camp, employed with Johnson and Warren? Does Jonnu Smith, acquired in the trade for Minkah Fitzpatrick, take snaps or passes away from Pat Freiermuth? Is receiver Robert Woods another version of Allen Robinson or even Van Jefferson? How does it all work with Rodgers, which is what the entire NFL will be watching in September? "All the little things I took for granted before, I'm just trying to see the whole field at this point in my career with him," said Smith, who begins his ninth season with his fifth different team. "I try to see how he views the defense from his point of view." Smith had his best season in 2024 with the Miami Dolphins, catching a team-high 88 passes for 884 yards and eight touchdowns on a team with receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. That's the kind of season the Steelers were expecting with Freiermuth after they signed him to a new five-year, $49.88 million contract during the offseason. Freiermuth finished the season with a career-high 65 catches — second on the team — but he was targeted just 78 times, or 33 times fewer than Smith, who played much fewer snaps. He also played just 68.7% of the snaps, including fewer than 64% in five of the final nine games. Smith played just 55% of the snaps and started only six games with the Dolphins, but he was targeted with a much greater frequency than his new Steelers teammate. He was targeted 14% of the time he was on the field; Freiermuth just 10.1% of the time. The plan, though, is for Smith not to interfere with Freiermuth's role in the offense, no matter how many tight ends the Steelers put on the field at the same time. "It depends on the game plan, depending what advantage we can create in four TEs and what the defense plays," Freiermuth said. "If they play us in a package that we feel we can take advantage of, I'm sure you'll see us play a lot of that." It will be up to Arthur Smith — and Rodgers — to determine the ball distribution. "We're all feeling the same — that we have the potential to do something really good this year," Freiermuth said. "I hope we take pride in what we do every single day leading up to game day I hope we play with a fire and intensity knowing we have the potential to get to our goals. If we do that, we have a really good shot this year."