News emerged late last week that former Green Bay Packers defender Preston Smith would be released by his new team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 32-year-old was acquired for a seventh-round pick by the Steelers back in November but failed to make much of an impact in the Steel City.
While the deal only included a late draft pick going to Green Bay, the swap was beneficial for the Packers. Brenton Cox Jr. and Kingsley Enagbare received more snaps in the aftermath of the trade, and it continued a youth movement in the front seven with Jonathan Cooper standing out at middle linebacker.
On Tuesday, Smith's release was officially processed, per the NFL's transaction wire, allowing him to immediately begin the search for his next home. This creates a wave of possibilities for Smith as he hits free agency.
Assessing Potential Suitors for Preston Smith in Free Agency
Smith signed with the Packers in 2019 and spent six seasons in Green Bay, finishing with 262 total tackles, 42 tackles for loss and 44 sacks. While he entered the season with three straight seasons of eight or more sacks, he managed just 2.5 sacks in nine starts for the Packers before the trade and two sacks in eight games as a rotational rusher for the Steelers.
The fact Smith requested the trade as he felt less valuable in Jeff Hafley’s scheme indicates he still thinks he can help a team and there will be no shortage of suitors as he hits the open market.
One team that could come calling is the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta ranked 31st with 31 sacks and had the league’s eighth-lowest pressure rate at 20% last season and Smith could serve a purpose either as a rotational pass rusher or a bridge starter for a draft pick. But with the Falcons’ cap situation expected to get worse after Kirk Cousins’s release, Smith could be looking somewhere else.
There’s also a scenario where Smith takes a page out of a fellow 2019 free agent signing’s book and signs with the Detroit LIons. Za’Darius Smith welcomed a trade to Detroit partially because he could face both of his former teams (Packers, Minnesota Vikings) twice but the Lions could be looking for pass-rush depth as they’re expected to release Za’Darius Smith in the coming weeks.
An article by The Athletic’s NFL Staff also listed the Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Commanders as teams looking for help with their pass rush or edge defenders, meaning Smith won’t have a shortage of suitors as he hits the open market.