Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith was reported to be a candidate for the University of North Carolina’s head coach position on Wednesday and Smith confirmed contact with the school on Thursday.
Smith went to North Carolina, which fired Mack Brown this week, and he told reporters that the administrations has made a call. Smith said that he is not thinking about that opening with the Steelers working to win the AFC North.
“Obviously, that’s your alma mater,” Smith said, via Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “That’s not something I’ve thought about. Like a lot of these things go, I know in today’s media things can blow up out of control. The reality is, reached out with a preliminary call. I appreciate it. Love that place but that’s not my focus.”
Smith played guard at North Carolina and worked there as a graduate assistant before moving into the NFL. He was the head coach of the Falcons for three seasons before joining the Steelers this year.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow admitted Wednesday that he is uncertain how his surgically repaired wrist will respond in freezing temperatures.
“That’s a question that remains to be answered,” Burrow said, via Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “I haven’t experienced a cold weather game with that yet. In the past when I’ve had injuries, cold weather does affect it, so we’ll find out. Maybe I’ll have a heater on the sideline or something. I haven’t really thought about that yet, but we’ll see.”
Burrow underwent season-ending surgery on the scapholunate ligament on his right throwing wrist exactly one year ago today. He continues to seek daily treatment from the athletic training staff on his wrist.
Thus, the Bengals list Burrow on the practice report every week as a full participant.
The game-time temperature Sunday in Cincinnati is expected to range from 30 degrees at kickoff to 18 degrees by the end of the game.
In his fifth season, Burrow has completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,028 yards with 27 touchdowns and four interceptions. He would be in the MVP conversation if the Bengals weren’t 4-7.
The Steelers have improved their offense in 2024. And they could be losing the guy who has been running it after only one year.
Via Andy Staples of On3.com, Smith is a candidate for the vacant head-coaching job at North Carolina. Smith, 42, attended North Carolina and began his coaching career there as a graduate assistant in 2006.
North Carolina fired Mack Brown on Tuesday.
Smith has coached continuously at the NFL level since 2011. He served as head coach of the Falcons from 2021 through 2023. Before that, Smith was the offensive coordinator of the Titans for two seasons.
Smith could draw interest elsewhere. NFL teams will be looking for head coaches. And while it didn’t work in Smith’s first stop as a head coach, others have rebounded from a rough start to have a successful head-coaching career.
Steelers outside linebacker Alex Highsmith might be “feeling much better,” but he remains a non-participant.
The Steelers’ practice report shows Highsmith was out of practice again Wednesday.
He has missed the past two games with an ankle injury.
“We’ve got Alex Highsmith leaning in on the return,” coach Mike Tomlin said, via Teresa Varley of the team website. “We’ll let his participation and the quality of that participation be our guide in terms of whether he gets back in or to what degree he gets back in.”
Highsmith was the only player on the Steelers’ practice report who didn’t participate because of an injury.
Defensive tackle Montravius Adams (knee) and cornerback Cory Trice Jr. (hamstring) were full participants Wednesday. Both are in their 21-day practice windows as they work their way back from injured reserve.
Trice returned to practice Nov. 14, and Wednesday was Adams’ first practice back.
The Steelers designated defensive tackle Montravius Adams to return to practice from injured reserve, the team announced.
It opens Adams’ 21-day practice window, with the Steelers able to activate him back to the active roster anytime in that time period.
Adams went on injured reserve Oct. 22 with a knee injury.
He has appeared in seven games this season, recording eight tackles, five of them solo stops, and one sack.
For his career, Adams has appeared in 92 games with 24 starts. He has 117 career tackles and 2.5 sacks.
The Packers drafted Adams in the third round in 2017. He spent four seasons with the Packers before signing with the Patriots in 2021. He also spent part of the 2021 season with the Saints before the Steelers claimed him off their practice squad.
