Pittsburgh acquired veteran edge rusher Preston Smith from…

Pittsburgh acquired Preston Smith at the 2024 trade deadline because injuries had tested its outside-linebacker depth. The Steelers already had T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig, but Smith brought 68.5 career sacks and years of experience in a 3-4 front. Green Bay received a 2025 seventh-round pick, later used on cornerback Micah Robinson, after Smith had started all nine games for the Packers and recorded 2.5 sacks.

The Steelers did receive exactly the kind of depth they were buying. Smith played eight regular-season games for Pittsburgh, recording 13 tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks in only 161 defensive snaps. He had a sack in his Steelers debut against Washington and contributed to a rotation that helped Pittsburgh reach the playoffs. His ability to play on the edge or reduce inside gave the defense some situational flexibility.

But the duration matters. Pittsburgh released Smith in February 2025, meaning the acquisition amounted to half a season and a playoff appearance. He was not a multi-year starter, did not displace the team’s primary edge rushers and did not produce enough volume to justify an A-range evaluation. Green Bay, meanwhile, had already shifted Smith into a less natural role under a new scheme and chose to gain a pick while opening snaps for younger defenders.

The Packers’ seventh-round return was modest, and a seventh-round selection is far from guaranteed value. That keeps Pittsburgh slightly ahead: two sacks and competent veteran depth during a playoff push are a reasonable outcome for such a low-cost asset. Still, the original A-/C grading treated ordinary rental value as though Pittsburgh had acquired a core player.

A C+ for Pittsburgh and C for Green Bay better fits the result. The Steelers won narrowly because the veteran helped when needed; the Packers accepted a sensible late pick for a player whose role was shrinking.