Ryan Tannehill previews what Steelers can expect from Arthur Smith

Free-agent quarterback Ryan Tannehill had Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith as his coordinator with the Tennessee Titans during the 2019 and 2020 seasons before Smith became head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

During the latest edition of the "Scoop City" podcast, Tannehill spoke with show hosts Chase Daniel and Dianna Russini about what curious Pittsburgh fans can expect from Smith during his first season in his current role.

"He had just the right touch of push without being over the top where it became a negative thing," Tannehill said about Smith, per Mike Moraitis of Sporting News. "He pushed me to try unconventional things, with the play actions and things that I hadn't really done before. A lot of the stuff that we were doing, he pushed me to just jump in and give it a try, you know? So I did, and it was working. And so I just kept trusting him and kept, you know, leaning into it. And together, we were able to make a lot of positive strides for the offense those years."

Smith finds himself in a unique situation this summer, as he's been tasked with helping veteran quarterback Russell Wilson bounce back from a forgettable stint with the Denver Broncos and developing 25-year-old Justin Fields into somebody who could replace Wilson atop Pittsburgh's depth chart as soon as this fall. Additionally, Smith may or may not be working on special packages for Fields assuming Wilson will enter Week 1 as the Steelers' starter.

Without directly saying so, Tannehill indicated that Smith is the right man for this particular job.

"I really enjoyed my time with (Smith) as a coordinator," Tannehill said. "We really had a close relationship and I felt like he pushed me in a way that a lot of, you know ... not that other coaches didn't push me, right, but he pushed me in a great way."

Wilson may need to be pushed "in a great way" to reclaim the form that made him a nine-time Pro Bowl selection with the Seattle Seahawks. Perhaps playing under Smith could ultimately result in Wilson spending more than a handful of months as Pittsburgh's QB1.