The New York Jets sought to replace Nathaniel Hackett as play-caller with Arthur Smith
More information continues to leak out about the New York Jets’ efforts to replace Nathaniel Hackett as their play-caller.
Most recently, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that the Jets heavily pursued former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith to be “part of the play-calling process.” Smith ultimately became the Steelers’ offensive coordinator.
It’s not particularly surprising that Smith would decline the Jets’ offer. With Hackett still on the offensive staff, there could have been significant tension. The Jets were ultimately unsuccessful in finding a new play-caller.
However, it may not be a bad thing that Smith ended up elsewhere. The Falcons fired him after three straight 7-10 seasons. Although much of that had to do with a lackluster roster, Smith’s conservative, run-first play-calling certainly played a part.
The Falcons have some significant offensive weaponry in Kyle Pitts, Drake London, Bijan Robinson, and Tyler Allgeier. They also have two excellent offensive linemen in guards Kaleb McGary and Chris Lindstrom, as well as a solid tackle in Jake Matthews. They should have been able to muster more than 18.9 points per game, ranked 26th in the NFL. Smith completely underused and misused Pitts in Atlanta, making the former No. 4 overall pick look like a bust after a stellar rookie season.
Even though the Jets clearly intend to be a run-heavy team in 2024, an offensive play-caller who has proven he does not know how to properly utilize his weapons is not the answer to that precise issue in the current play-caller. Smith very well could have been Hackett 2.0. (In fact, the Steelers may find they replaced one uninspiring play-caller in Matt Canada with another in Smith.)
Hackett is still a significant concern as the Jets’ play-caller. He may be the single biggest offensive issue they have. The team is once again heavily relying on Aaron Rodgers to change plays at the line of scrimmage.
Still, Smith would not have been the answer for the Jets. They might as well move forward with Rodgers’ friend rather than signing another incompetent play-caller.
