Featured Columnist IVNovember 5, 2024
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The Pittsburgh Steelers added just a few new gamers to their roster forward of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET NFL commerce deadline.
After NFL Community’s Ian Rapoport reported the AFC North staff acquired huge receiver Mike Williams from the New York Jets, NFL Community’s Tom Pelissero reported the Steelers landed linebacker Preston Smith in a commerce with the Inexperienced Bay Packers.
In accordance with Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, the Packers acquired a 2025 seventh-round draft choose in return.
The Packers confirmed the deal proper on the 4 p.m. ET deadline:
Inexperienced Bay Packers @packers
Packers have traded DL Preston Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2025 seventh-round draft choose.
Whereas the 6-3 Packers are in the course of the NFC playoff race and do not match the standard mould of deadline sellers, Smith turns 32 years previous this month and has performed simply 54 % of the out there defensive snaps in 9 video games, per Pro Football Reference.
Transferring him now permits Inexperienced Bay to raise youthful gamers because it makes its playoff push all whereas getting one thing in return.
He’s additionally set to make $12 million in base wage in 2025 and once more in 2026 on a contract that will not age significantly properly, so the Packers have been considerably proactive with this commerce.
As for the Steelers, they’re including one other notable identify to a protection that’s second within the league in factors allowed per recreation (14.9) and a significant motive the staff leads the AFC North at 6-2.
Smith is probably not the identical participant he was at his peak with 2.5 sacks this season, however he’s coming off three straight campaigns with at the least eight sacks. He posted 48 tackles, eight sacks, 4 passes defended and two pressured fumbles in 2023 and figures to supply veteran management for Pittsburgh within the stretch run.
He’s additionally sturdy having appeared in at the least 16 video games each season since he was drafted in 2015 and is coming into a perfect pass-rushing state of affairs with the Steelers. In spite of everything, opposing offensive traces nonetheless must account for T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward with double groups, which ought to open up blitzing lanes for Smith.
The consequence could possibly be way more manufacturing than he had this season with the Packers.
