Acquirng veteran pass rusher Preston Smith Tuesday from the Green Bay Packers for just a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft was a rather surprising move for the Pittsburgh Steelers under GM Omar Khan.
Though OLB depth was a concern, adding a player of Smith’s caliber wasn’t something that was expected. Nor was Smith expected to be available.
Turns out, Smith had quietly requested a trade from the Packers a few weeks ago, and they did right by him, sending him to a 3-4 scheme in Pittsburgh, giving him a chance to play in a system he’s comfortable in again.
Now, the Steelers look stacked at outside linebacker behind the big three of T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig with the addition of Smith.
“We’re just stacking our chips. This is an arms race,” Mike Tomlin said Wednesday after practice of the addition of Smith, according to the transcript provided by the team. “It’s highly competitive. As the road gets narrow, we better have capable people, and obviously, 68.5 career sacks, he’s capable.”
It is an arms race right now in the AFC, and the Steelers did well to strike while the iron is hot. Not only did they add Smith to a star-studded defense, they added veteran wide receiver Mike Williams, giving the Steelers two proven, veteran pieces on a team that appears poised to make a run in the playoffs.
Though many might not have deemed defense an area of need, Smith brings some versatility to the table as an EDGE rusher and a guy who — in a pinch — can rush from the interior, too. He’s highly accomplished in the NFL and knows how to get to the quarterback. That will make it easier for the Steelers to rotate him in and give guys like Highsmith and Watt some plays off in an effort to keep them fresh and healthy down the stretch.
Despite his experience and his versatility, his role is unknown right now.
“I think that’s to be discovered. I’ve seen him inside some in Green Bay in pass-rushing circumstances, and so we don’t have guard rails on it,” Tomlin added of Smith. “It’s about getting to know him and seeing where it leads us.”
We’ll see if the Steelers ask Smith to move around defensively and lean into some of that versatility, but it’s worth noting that across 7,099 career snaps, Smith has just 103 over the tackle or inside. Primarily, he plays outside of the tackle and standing up as a true EDGE defender.
So, the Steelers are still trying to figure out what Smith’s role is and they’re still getting to know him, but they’ve added a significant weapon to the arms race, giving the defense a major leg up.
