The Pittsburgh Steelers are adding a notable name to their inside linebacker group. According to agent Doug Hendrickson, LB Jaylon Smith is signing with the team.
Presumably, this is to the team’s practice squad, filling one of the team’s two open spots. Tuesday, the Steelers released OLB David Perales and lost S Henry Black to the Indianapolis Colts. Per Josina Anderson, the team will start Smith off on the practice squad, though a pre-game elevation would allow him to play without being signed to the team’s 53. It’s the course the team took with LB Myles Jack this past weekend.
A second round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, Smith, still just 28 years old, has been hampered by injuries in recent years. It partially stems from a severe leg injury he suffered in college while at Notre Dame, tearing his ACL, MCL, and suffering nerve damage that resulted in dropfoot. He’s appeared in just one game this season for the Las Vegas Raiders, logging 25 defensive snaps and making two tackles, and spent time with the New Orleans Saints during training camp. He sat out his rookie year while rehabbing his injury before making his playing debut in 2017.
A one-time Pro Bowler, Smith started all every game from the 2018 to 2020 seasons, making his Pro Bowl bid in 2019. That year, he finished with 142 tackles, nine pass deflections, and 2.5 sacks while forcing a pair of fumbles. He lasted less than three years into the $64 million extension he signed prior to 2019, released by the team in 2021 after his play regressed and rookie LB Micah Parsons supplanted him on the depth chart. He finished out the year spending time with the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants.
LB Elandon Roberts suffered a pectoral injury in Saturday’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals and will miss this weekend’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. Pittsburgh hits the practice field tomorrow and presumably, Smith will be part of the session.
