Preston Smith wasn’t surprised when he got the call Tuesday afternoon that he was heading from Green Bay to Pittsburgh at the trade deadline.
That’s because, the veteran pass rusher said Wednesday, he requested a trade weeks earlier in search of a system that better fit his skill set.
“I didn’t feel like I was being useful in the system, and it wasn’t catering to my play style and moving forward,” Smith said.
“I wasn’t surprised when I got the call. I got what I asked for, and I’m at a place that — a great place — with some great teammates, and I’m excited for the new start, and I’m excited for the rest of this journey for this season.”
Under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, who replaced Joe Barry prior to the 2024 season, the Packers’ defense moved from a 3-4 scheme to a 4-3, and Smith moved from outside linebacker to defensive end. Before this season, Smith, who recorded at least eight sacks each season from 2021 to 2023, spent the majority of his 10-year career playing outside linebacker.
After his first day of practice, Smith said he was comfortable in the Steelers’ 3-4 system because of its familiarity.
“It’s what I was comfortable playing in, and what I got used to playing in the previous nine seasons,” Smith said. “So just being back in the system, it’s like riding your favorite bike again.”
How much Smith and fellow trade deadline acquisition Mike Williams will be used in Sunday’s game against the Commanders, though, remains to be seen.
“There’s some variables in that equation,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “First and foremost, the ability to learn. We got to have an above the line assignment component to our play, and then getting a sense of what they’re physically capable of. We got a few days to sort through some of those things.
“This weekend, Sunday is not the end game. We acquired these guys to be with us for the remainder of this journey, and so that’s just my general mindset.”
While Smith was excited about returning to this defensive scheme, he joins a pass rush that already has a talented duo in T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, in addition to second-year riser Nick Herbig. Even so, Smith didn’t express concerns about getting limited opportunities.
“Man, I’m just here to embrace my role to help those guys out as much as I can,” he said. “If they need a break, I’m going to be there for them to get a break, whatever the rotation may be. I’m here to accept my role and contribute in the best way possible.”
And though Smith is ready to give Watt and Highsmith a break, the opportunity comes at the expense of giving up his own break. Smith was entering Green Bay’s bye week when he was traded, and the Steelers just came off their own. That means Smith could wind up playing a game in all 18 regular-season weeks.
“It could have been any team,” Smith said. “While I was on the phone, I was looking up the record. I don’t keep up every team record, but I saw their record. I was like, ‘Woo!’
“But I was also kind of sad, because they were just coming off the bye, and I was on a bye, and so I had to go back to work and now I don’t get a bye anymore. But I’m excited to be here. I’m ready to play. I’m ready to ball out.”
Like Smith, Williams doesn’t get a bye week. Traded from the Jets, Williams was slated to have his bye in Week 12, but he’ll now be taking on the Cleveland Browns in a Thursday night game that week.
Williams, who was targeted on just 10.1% of his routes, per ESPN Research, was excited about the chance to have a bigger role in an offense this season.
“I’m looking forward to the opportunity,” said Williams, who also said he took first-team reps in his first practice Wednesday. “I’m a playmaker. I want to make plays. I want to get the ops. But I’m going to go out here, work and show that I deserve to be on the field.”
He also noted that his skill set matches up well with that of quarterback Russell Wilson, who has a proclivity for launching accurate deep balls.
“Hell yeah,” Williams said when asked about his desire to catch deep passes from Wilson. “That’s something I’ve been good at also in my career, was catching that deep ball and tracking the ball. So come down with a few of those, gain that trust in each other and just connect on a lot of those.”
