Jonnu Smith turned a few heads Thursday when, as one of four tight ends on the field for the Pittsburgh Steelers, he took a pitch and rambled up the right side for a short gain.

Smith’s head wasn’t one of them.

“I’ve made a few plays in the backfield in my career,” Smith said. “Nothing different. I’m trying to be as valuable to the offense as I can be. Whatever it is they need me to be, I’m going to be it.”

The Steelers acquired Smith in late June in a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins for his ability to catch the ball and not necessarily run with it. Smith had a career year in 2024 when he caught 88 passes for 884 yards and eight touchdowns.

He had 86 fewer carries — two, to be precise, for minus-1 yard.

Smith, though, is expected to line up in the backfield on occasion this year for the Steelers as they explore using three and sometimes four tight ends on a given play. And don’t be surprised if he gets a few chances to run with the ball, as he displayed under the hot sun at Saint Vincent.

Smith has a lengthy history with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith dating to their days last decade with the Tennessee Titans. Arthur Smith wasn’t shy about finding creative ways to use the tight end in his formations then, and he is trying to expand Jonnu Smith’s role this season, too.

“You use the weapons you’ve got,” Arthur Smith said. “You adapt to your circumstances and what your strengths are. Those guys have unique skill sets. You have guys listed as tight ends, but they all have different skill sets and strengths.”

Among the returning tight ends on the Steelers roster, Connor Heyward is the only one with a rushing attempt on his resume. He has carried three times in his NFL career, all before Arthur Smith was hired as offensive coordinator last season.

Jonnu Smith, though, is 3 inches taller and listed as 18 pounds heavier than Heyward, making for a potentially bruising ball carrier.

Asked about his history of running with the football, Smith, without hesitation, pointed to 2019 when he was in his third NFL season in Tennessee. Smith took a pitch in the right flat and rambled for a 57-yard gain before he was forced out of bounds. He had four carries for 78 yards that season. For his career, he has carried 19 times for 126 yards, and he scored a rushing touchdown in 2020 when he and Arthur Smith were in their final seasons with the Titans.

Jonnu Smith, strangely, had a career-high nine carries with New England in 2021, his first year without Arthur Smith as his coordinator. They reunited in 2023 in Atlanta when Arthur Smith was Falcons head coach, and they are together again this summer.

“I didn’t have many carries in college,” said Jonnu Smith, who had exactly one in four years at Florida International. “Art was the first guy to put the ball in my hands at this level. It’s using me in places I know I can be effective.”

The Steelers acquired Smith to complement Pat Freiermuth and not necessarily take away any playing time from the fifth-year tight end, who received a contract extension last summer that cemented his role as a starter.

“He’s fast and really good with the ball in his hands,” Freiermuth said. “Anytime we can get the ball in his hands, and he can make explosive plays, that’s good for us.”

Freiermuth said he is by no means jealous of Smith getting to carry the ball.

“That’s Jonnu’s thing,” he said. “I’ll stick with what I do.”

This spring, Smith sat out organized team activities and minicamp with the Dolphins. As part of the trade with the Steelers, he was given a $12 million extension. Arthur Smith was hoping the Steelers could acquire his former tight end, but he disputes the narrative that he was pleading with coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan to make the trade happen.

“It’s not like I’m back there lobbying, like I’ve worked on K Street in (Washington) D.C.,” he said. “It’s just more that they ask for your evaluations. I know my role. They ask me about the same things in the draft and free agency, and I say, ‘Here is how I would use him.’ ”

Aware of the team’s salary cap situation, Arthur Smith wasn’t sure a deal could be reached, although he was hopeful.

“It’s more about the fit if we get him,” he said. “It’s not like, ‘Hey, I have to have this guy.’ I’ll work with whoever you bring me. If you ask my opinion, I’ll give it. … It’s fitting the pieces of the puzzle. I try to be a problem solver and see the fit.”

If what transpired Thursday in practice is an indication, Jonnu Smith will be the occasional fit in the backfield.

Asked if he enjoys adding to his repertoire by carrying the ball, Smith smiled and said, “I do.”

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