The Pittsburgh Steelers officially release long-time veteran Preston Smith in a cap-saving move to the open market. According to several sources, the team will move on from the veteran to save them more than $13 million to no surprise since he was a cap casualty. Originally selected in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft, the former Mississippi State product came into the league playing for the Washington Redskins (Commanders) for the first three seasons. In a trade this past 2024 campaign between the Packers and Steelers, Pittsburgh was hoping to bring him in to bolster the pass-rushing unit for the postseason
However, the plans fell apart after missing the wild card loss against the Baltimore Ravens. He wasn’t able to stay healthy so it’s no surprise the Steelers are moving on. Smith still put up two fumbles for one recovery and 13 total tackles in eight games for the team. As the veteran is aging. it’s probably best for him to join a contender that helps him win a ring before he retires. Here are the top 5 team fits for Preston Smith.
Steelers Release Long-Time 69.5-Sack Veteran Preston Smith – Commanders, Chargers Among Next Possible Teams
Next Possible Teams
Washington Commanders
A reunion back to where Smith started his career in the first few seasons with them, especially considering the new landscape the organization has. The Commanders were trying to rewire their defensive line this past offseason signing Dorace Armstrong and Dante Fowler Jr., which has been working well. However, veteran Bobby Wagner will become a free agent so this means they should add a veteran like Smith since the chemistry is already there.
Los Angeles Chargers
Nobody loves playing an old-school-style defense more than head coach Jim Harbaugh and Smith checkmarks all of the boxes. The Chargers will attempt to re-sign Poona Ford and Khalil Mack to mega contracts while they bring in a replacement for cut candidate Joey Bosa. Mack and Smith on the opposite should give this defense enough experience to be a legitimate contender in the postseason next year.
Baltimore Ravens
For the Ravens, the defense will continue to get younger if the team doesn’t add any veterans sooner rather than later. After losing Jadeveon Clowney this past offseason, the pass rush was a bit wonky with Trenton Simpson getting in the mix. It didn’t help Odafe Oweh on that side while he had to deal with the inexperience of Simpson and David Ojabo. Perhaps, they could release one of these pass rushers and bring in Smith as a rotational veteran to assist Oweh to provide some much-needed stability.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills offense is one of the strongest but the same can’t be said about the defense. With Von Miller likely to be a free agent, they should look for a cheap capable veteran to pair with AJ Epenesa and Greg Rousseau. These two can’t get the job done with the experience they have while Smith has been long enough in the league to be a spokesman for the Bills’ defense to finally push through for a Super Bowl contention.
Kansas City Chiefs
It doesn’t look like a promising free agency for the Kansas City Chiefs after losing in a heartbreaking Super Bowl loss. Free Agents such as Nick Bolton and Josh Uche probably won’t return due to salary cap concerns. With that, the Chiefs will have to settle for veterans in this market but they should take advantage of Smith’s asking price and sign him to a cheap deal.
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