The Pittsburgh Steelers are almost done with their Mandatory Minicamp practices, and it is the first time all coaches and players are not only in attendance, but in front of the media. Everyone gets peppered with questions, and it is a good exercise to see just how some of these coaches and players respond to certain questions.

As it pertains to new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, it was his first time answering in-depth questions surrounding the offense, and you know he was going to get asked about the quarterback situation. More specifically, if it is easier to have two new quarterbacks compared to an entrenched starter learning a new playbook. Smith’s answer was honest and upfront.

“It’s probably easier.” said Smith. “You know, you know, if you get a job like this, and there’s a guy who’s maybe been here 10 years, they may have a certain way they’ve done things, and so you’re new. Here we’re all new. And so that’s been fun, going back and looking at the film of stuff all three of those guys have done at previous stops, stuff I’ve done at different stops with different quarterbacks, so to answer your question, the short answer is, yes, it’s a little bit easier when everybody’s new.”

Outside of the quarterbacks, Smith sees a ton of potential in the offense, especially at the skill positions where players have a lot of position flexibility. Ultimately, it’s the depth Smith sees on the offense which is intriguing.

“Well, we have a lot of guys who can play in multiple spots, whether it’s our tight ends. We have some receivers who give position flexibility. I really like the depth that we got up front right now, and obviously the quarterback position – really the whole room is new, players and coaches, and it gives you a lot of options. You know, these guys, we have experience. Russ [Wilson], Justin [Fields], and even Kyle [Allen] are guys who have played meaningful snaps in this League, so it’s been it’s been fun.”

As for specific quarterbacks, Smith was asked about Justin Fields, and if he’s seen any improvement in his game in such a short amount of time.

“All those guys were working with, you know, whether it’s Dan Moore or Isaac [Seumalo], there’s always little things you’re working on. And that’s what it is – constantly improving. So with all the quarterbacks, we’re working on everything we can.”

One reporter called the task at had with Fields as a “reconstruction”, a term Smith disagreed with when talking about areas Fields can improve upon as he prepares for his first season outside of Chicago.

“I don’t know if I’d call it reconstruction. I mean, that’s just different opinions. But certainly, we’re excited to have the opportunity to work, and Justin’s got a great mindset for a guy that’s, you know, had a lot of individual success. He’s certainly had some flash plays we’ve all seen and some dynamic playmaking, but whether it’s Russ, him, Kyle, you know, John Rhys [Plumlee], I mean, all these guys, we’re constantly working to enhance fundamentals.”

The Steelers have their work cut out for them at the quarterback position this offseason, and while Wilson is considered in “pole position”, a term Smith echoed from Mike Tomlin, Fields will certainly be viewing it as an opportunity to show he is still worthy of being a starter in the NFL.

New offensive coordinator, new quarterbacks, and a new offense could be fireworks…or duds. Only time will tell.

Be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the rest of minicamp and 2024 training camp.