According to NFL Draft Diamonds on Twitter, the Pittsburgh Steelers are bringing in offensive lineman Eric Smith for a workout.
Smith has played for seven different organizations in the NFL, but has had three different stints with the New York Jets. He was released by New York earlier this week to make room for Yodny Cajuste on the Jets active roster. He was an undrafted free agent in 2017, latching on with the Miami Dolphins and making the roster as a backup tackle, but he was cut ahead of his second season.
He’s played in four regular-season games in his career, and the 6’4, 308-pound tackle out of Virginia would likely compete for a depth role with the Steelers. He’s clearly valued enough around the league to latch on with a number of different organizations, but there’s also a reason he doesn’t last that long.
His most extensive experience came with the New York Giants in 2019, where he had a grade of 49.5, per PFF. In 56 snaps with the Giants, he allowed three sacks and two quarterback pressures while not being particularly helpful in the run game either, as his run grade score was just 50.0. In addition to New York in 2019, he also appeared in action with the Arizona Cardinals in 2021, playing just two snaps.
Pittsburgh has a roster spot open, so no corresponding move would be necessary to add Smith. It’s never a bad thing to have offensive line depth, so adding Smith as another body to compete in camp makes sense. We’ll see if he impresses enough in his workout to ink a deal with the Steelers.
