All eyes are on WR Mike Williams, but he isn’t the only player the Pittsburgh Steelers traded for ahead of the deadline. Edge rusher Preston Smith should provide valuable depth for a team looking to make some noise in the playoffs. He might be on the wrong side of 30, but Smith has still been a great disruptor.
“I played against Preston [Smith] a bunch,” Steelers QB Russell Wilson said Thursday via the team’s transcript. “He’s a guy that knows how to get to the quarterback, stop the run, and do a lot of great things. He’s a tremendous football player, and he’ll be a great addition to our locker room because of his approach and his talent. Those reps are real. That success in the National Football League is real. It’s not make-believe.”
Wilson has played against Smith a handful of times. The matched up against each other in 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2023. In those games, Wilson only beat Smith once, coming last year when the Denver Broncos edged the Green Bay Packers, 19-17.
Smith definitely made an impression on Wilson too. In those four games, Smith sacked Wilson four times. That includes two sacks in the divisional round of the playoffs during the 2019 season. Wilson is well-aware of the quality of player Smith is.
While Smith might not be the same player he once was, he should be ideal for his role subbing in for either Alex Highsmith or T.J. Watt when they need to rest. The best part of the Steelers this year has been their pass rush, and Smith will only make that stronger. You don’t luck into 68.5 career sacks.
Many of the things that can be said about Smith are also said about Wilson. They’re from a similar era of football, contending in the NFC many years ago. Now, they’re both veterans looking to prove they still belong in the league.
Wilson has proven many of his doubters wrong, and it sounds like Smith believes he still has a lot left to give a team. Let’s hope he can be as successful against other quarterbacks as he was against Wilson.
