ARTHUR SMITH: Excited about getting Kaleb Johnson in here. Really explosive running back that we spent some time with on a 30 visit here. One of the more instinctive backs that I've watched in a couple of years coming out of the draft.
Perfect fit regardless of whatever run scheme you're running. He ran multiple at Iowa. Really impressive as a volume runner as the game went on, and one of the more impressive stats you've seen as the fourth quarter -- what he averaged in the fourth quarter. I believe it was over 5 yards per carry. Might have been closer to 6.
We think he's a great culture fit. Obviously extremely fired up to get Kaleb in here.
THE MODERATOR: Questions.
Q. Arthur, what did you learn about him during the visit?
ARTHUR SMITH: This process, which I appreciate, which I like, we travel on the road. I mean, we're very present at pro days and Senior Bowls. Then we use the visits.
So Kaleb was here on a visit. As a coach, you get into the process. The scouts, these guys have been looking at him for years. We're kind of later on. You're trying to get to know the person. Obviously the tape, you can evaluate the skills on the tape, but really it's getting to know the person.
I always want to know and the way I look at it especially in this role, all right, what's the vision? What's the plan if we take this player? How does he learn? That's what a lot of it is is getting to know the person and Kaleb and just a really impressive person. Obviously a great football player and really how he sees. Everybody learns differently.
So when you take these guys and we meet with them and as I go through scheme and you are really just hearing them talk and seeing where they're at, whether it's protection with the back and what their history is. Obviously at Iowa they were pretty run-heavy, and he ran multiple schemes, but really think he fits no matter what run scheme you want to operate.
Q. The desire to get a running back, is it you want to create that kind of tandem that you had last year with Jaylen?
ARTHUR SMITH: It will be different. Every year I've been around, I've never been one that compares this is the setup we had at this stop.
Generally you've got 500-plus carries in a regular season. You're talking about 1,100 snaps. You would like to be on the plus side of 500. That means you're in more four-minute. Let's leave it at 500 carries to divvy up. That's kind of where you're at.
Then obviously losing Naj, Naj for four years here, he was very durable, and that's a lot of missing carries. Then obviously we got some carries, especially early out of Justin. So it's just really fit. Guys will roll, and there's a lot of good group of guys we have in that running back room. So we're obviously excited.
No matter if you are running the football or the pass game, we need to get more explosive, and this is an explosive runner, and that's where he will certainly help.
Q. The fit that you mentioned at the end of your first answer, was that sort of the differentiating factor in deciding to go running back here even with the lack of numbers at QB and did you have QBs on the roll --
ARTHUR SMITH: I respect the way you worked that in. I'm going to keep this about Kaleb. Trust me, I get it.
Here's the thing, I know Coach and Omar, Mr. Rooney, have spoken about the quarterback. We're talking about Kaleb and just the way we're looking at backs and why we're so excited about Kaleb, and that's kind of where my focus has been. That is my job.
Kaleb Johnson is a Pittsburgh Steeler, and we're really excited about him and what he can bring to the offense and the team.
Q. How can they work together Jaylen and Kaleb? How can they work off each other?
ARTHUR SMITH: That depends on game and where Kaleb is at. One thing Jaylen does, which is extremely valuable, is how much you trust him in protection and those critical possession downs. It doesn't mean a young guy can't do it, but sometimes they can take something off his plate early on.
Everything is new to him. The rookie years are long for these guys. Obviously if something happens to Jaylen or somebody else, I mean, his role can expand. So, as you say, you got 17 games. Obviously we're hoping to play more than that, and there are a lot of carries you can divvy up, but they'll fit.
Jaylen, we're really excited about where Jaylen is at coming into this spring as well and where Kaleb really, like I said, will add hopefully an explosive element to the offense.
Q. When you look at Iowa's offense, one of the most run-heavy teams in college football, one of the teams that used tight ends some of the most and then also a lot of wide zone, outside zone. When you have something that sounds a lot like your offense, how does that help in your projection of how a player might fit with your team?
ARTHUR SMITH: Yeah, I'll pivot. Last year we didn't run as much true outside zone. That was due to some of the familiarity with some of the players we had. You try to adapt to the strengths of the players. You don't want to be rigid. We ran a lot less wide zone, outside zone, whatever you want to call it, than I had the previous couple of years. I think Kaleb can do it at. He ran plenty of gap schemes at Iowa.
You can change it up. Again, you don't want to get stale, but he is a really good, whether you are talking wide zone or tight zone, runner.
Q. Does picking Kaleb here reinforce the idea that you want to have a run-first offense? Still plenty of stuff to take shape, but does that suggest that's the direction this offense is going?
ARTHUR SMITH: I get it. When you have had the privilege of coaching somebody like Derrick and again, you're trying to play to their strengths and some of the things we did in '22 where we were damn near a service academy the way we ran the ball. You use what you got and try to play to their strengths. That's not necessarily.
We obviously added DK. We want to be an explosive offense. I think balance is the right word. It doesn't mean that every game you're going to be exactly, hey, we're going to be 35 carries, 30 passes.
Again, whatever way we have to operate to win the game, and really that's the thing we want to be. We want to be more explosive. The years I've had it where you have guys that can rip off explosive runs, that may open more things in the play pass or the keeper game or even the action screens. If you don't have that, then you've got to operate a different way.
This offense, we've got some returning players, but obviously Kaleb is a new offensive piece we've added along with DK. So we have to get DK the ball as well.
As this thing keeps building, it's ongoing as we add to the roster, but we're just excited about this player and how he fits really overall. I look at him as an explosive weapon.
Q. When you have a player with good instincts, does that normally mean a quicker transition?
ARTHUR SMITH: Usually. Yeah, that's part of the process that you want to do your homework. Where are we starting at when this guy gets here in a couple of weeks in rookie camp? That certainly helps. That's a great trait to have, football intelligence, instinctive, awareness. That's what you are trying to build. You would love to have 11 guys with high football intelligence.
Q. You mentioned a couple of times about explosiveness. Why was that so important this offseason to improve that area of your offense?
ARTHUR SMITH: I think regardless of your scheme, where you're not just plodding where you are two, three, four yards and multiple third and twos and third and fours. You would like to get those chunk plays. History will tell you that, whether you want to look at advanced analytics. Regardless of how you look at the game, that opens up and usually produces more touchdowns. That's what we're looking for.
At times, probably the middle point of the season, we were hitting some explosives, a little bit how people were playing us, and the way we're attacking, but we have to have more ways to get those chunk plays.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports