2024-11-06 11:15:02
The Steelers acquired veteran edge rusher Preston Smith from the Green Bay Packers at the NFL trade deadline Tuesday.
Smith, 31, is a savvy player who has started 138 games in his 10-year career with Washington and Green Bay, recording 68.5 career sacks.
A former second-round pick of Washington out of Mississippi State, the 6-foot-5, 265-pound Smith is considered good against the run, as well, with 430 career tackles, including 71 for a loss in his career.
Previously an outside linebacker in Green Bay’s 3-4 defensive scheme, Smith moved to more of a defensive end role with the Packers this season with a change in coordinators. He started all nine games and recorded 19 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
Six times in his 10 NFL seasons, Smith has recorded at least eight sacks, including a career-high 12 in 2019, his first season in Green Bay after leaving Washington as a free agent.
Last season, Smith had 48 tackles and eight sacks, playing over 800 defensive snaps for the fifth time in the past six seasons.
