Who won pass-rusher trade between two NFL playoff contenders?
With the 2024 NFL trade deadline closing in on Tuesday, two playoff contenders struck a deal with one another.
The Green Bay Packers agreed to trade edge rusher Preston Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick, according to multiple reports.
Smith is one of the league’s more accomplished pass rushers with 68 ½ career sacks. But Green Bay opted to give more reps to its younger alternatives, while the Steelers – who earlier Tuesday engineered a trade with the New York Jets for wide receiver Mike Williams – found an established veteran to serve as a backup to T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.
Here’s how the Steelers and Packers fared in the deal.
Preston Smith trade grades
Steelers grade: B-
There’s no questioning Watt and Highsmith, who are each coming off two-sack performances in a win over the New York Giants. But as they stand atop the AFC North at 6-2, the Steelers likely wanted a little more confidence in their depth with Nick Herbig still recovering from a hamstring injury that has sidelined him for the last three games. Smith turns 32 later this month, and his best days are almost certainly behind him. But if he helps keep Watt and Highsmith fresh with some spot work, Pittsburgh is probably satisfied with the results.
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Packers grade: B-
For Green Bay, this deal appears rooted not so much in nabbing a sizable return so much as clearing the way for other contributors. The Packers were bound to move on from Smith at some point after taking Lukas Van Ness in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft, and it seems that the staff was ready to make the transition after Smith played a season-low 36.8% of the snaps in Sunday’s loss to the Detroit Lions. This move could test how defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley navigates his rotation of pass rushers, with Kingsley Enagbare potentially also needing to step up behind Van Ness and Rashan Gary. But it was time for a shift, and GM Brian Gutekunst gets something for a player he might have cut in the upcoming offseason as a cost-saving measure.
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