In the waning hours of the NFL trade deadline, nobody should have been surprised to see the Pittsburgh Steelers make a desperation move for wide receiver help. They should have been even less surprised to see former Chargers and Jets WR Mike Williams as the player traded for.
But one move nobody saw coming was Pittsburgh's trade for Green Bay Packers pass rusher, Preston Smith. Just before the clock ticked down on the trade deadline, the Steelers executed a sneaky-good deal for an underrated defender in exchange for a seventh-round draft choice in 2025.
Some questioned the move, wondering how necessary it was to grab an edge rusher before the deadline who has very little production and will be fourth in line for the Steelers. However, the brilliance behind this decision from General Manager Omar Khan cannot be understated.
Preston Smith trade is exactly what Steelers' defense needed
When you look at Smith from a production standpoint, there's literally nothing to get excited about. The big pass rusher has just 10 pressures entering Week 10 to go with 2.5 sacks at the halfway point of the 2024 season. This isn't because of a lack of opportunity, as Smith logged 308 snaps so far on the season.
But don't let the numbers fool you.
Smith isn't a flashy player, and at this stage of his career, he's not going to get to the quarterback often. Fortunately, the Steelers don't need him to do this in order to make his presence felt.
Where Smith thrives is as a run defender. At 6'5'' and 265 pounds with 34'' arms, Smith uses tremendous anchoring strength and powerful hands to stack and shed blockers at the line of scrimmage. Essentially, he offers everything a guy like Nick Herbig does not... and this is perfect for the composition of Pittsburgh's EDGE group.
With Herbig, T.J. Watt, and Alex Highsmith more than capable of meeting the QB in the backfield and coming up with splash plays, Smith is a remarkably stout edge defender who can help shut down opposing running games.
This means the Steelers could deploy Smith on early downs and obvious running situations while keeping Watt, Highsmith, and Herbig fresher to tee off on the quarterback. The addition of Smith will allow Teryl Austin to deploy a healthy rotation of four edge rushers.
We've stressed all season how important it is for T.J. Watt to be fresh and healthy late in the year and into the playoffs. However, the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year and 2024 DPOY frontrunner is on pace to play more snaps at 30 years old than at any point in his NFL season.
Now adding a run-stuffing specialist to the mix with a decade of NFL experience leaves Pittsburgh in great hands. Though the Steelers always want Watt on the field, Mike Tomlin has another player he can trust to perform well when his superstar is taking a breather on the sidelines.
Smith had one double-digit sack season back in 2019 and is never going to be the flashiest player, but this was a better move than most fans realize, and I'm excited about what it means for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024.