Probably. While CI is known for heating up slowly, I’ve been kind of surprised at how long it takes to heat evenly.
If you end up doing a rib eye, we’ve used the reverse sear method (look it up on Serious Eats) and LOVE it. Perfectly medium on the inside and perfectly seared on the outside. 
I think so. I personally don’t notice much of a smokier flavor myself, so, TBH, we use the CI skillet much more than the grill. I think we might use the grill more often, if we didn’t have one that is such a PITA to use (2-burner Lodge on that it very difficult to handle). I’ve often thought about purchasing one that’s shaped like a skillet but has the grill portion “inside,” but I can’t justify the $ for how infreq we would likely use it.