“Now you have four legitimate guys:” CBS Sports reacts to the Steelers' acquisition of Preston Smith

Earlier this morning, Pittsburgh Steelers fans were agitated on X/Twitter, demanding that General Manager Omar Khan do something, anything. He certainly did, initially trading for New York Jets WR Mike Williams. Then he went back to the phones and traded a seventh-round pick for Green Bay Packers fullback Preston Smith.

We all knew the Steelers wanted a wide receiver. But as head coach Mike Tomlin said earlier Tuesday, the team is always looking to improve wherever it can. And the Steelers love to attack opposing quarterbacks, but they've had to contend with injuries to both Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig this season. So getting Smith for next to nothing makes perfect sense.

“From the Steelers' perspective, they could always use an additional pass rusher,” Pete Prisco said in CBS Sports HQ's coverage of the trade on Tuesday. “I mean, the Steelers love to put these guys in their place. And you have (TJ) Watt, you have Highsmith, you have Herbig. But he's a little crazy. So if it’s a little broken, get another one.”

And as for the “one more,” as Prisco says, the Steelers could have done a lot worse than Smith. He appeared in 155 games over 10 NFL seasons, including four with the Washington Commanders and six with the Packers. He has recorded 68.5 sacks, 71 tackles for a loss and 155 quarterback hits during that span. He has 450 total tackles, 10 forced fumbles and five interceptions.

However, Smith's production declined in 2024. He started in all nine of the Packers' games before the trade, but has just 2.5 sacks, two tackles for a loss and four quarterback hits. However, he played in a new scheme that featured him in a four-down linemen lineup on the defensive line. He consistently played outside linebacker for most of his career.

And that's exactly where Smith will be in Pittsburgh. He will be a rotation piece and help spell TJ Watt and Highsmith. And that's why former NFL general manager Rick Spielman thinks this is a great move by the Steelers.

“Kudos to Omar Khan and the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Spielman said after Prisco offered his thoughts. “Not only did they get Mike Williams, but they also got another pass rusher. Now you have four real guys. When they came out of farewell, they had to go to Washington. After that, all division games start. Given the injuries that can occur, TJ Watt also had some durability concerns, which gives them peace of mind in having another pass rusher.”

The Steelers have had to rely on players like Jeremiah Moon and DeMarvin Leal to fill in at fullback this season. I think the team will feel much more comfortable sending out a player with 68.5 career sacks in Preston Smith.

For more thoughts, check out Alex Kozora's reaction to the Preston Smith trade.

And you can watch the entire segment with Spielman and Prisco below: