Film Room: Preston Smith Brings Big, Physical Presence To Pittsburgh’s Pass Rush Unit

Right before the NFL trade deadline, ESPN insider Adam Schefter announced that the Pittsburgh Steelers were trading for Green Bay Packers EDGE Preston Smith, sending them a seventh-round draft pick for the veteran pass rusher. Smith had been operating in a rotational capacity with Lukas Van Ness and Kingsley Enagbare, having started all nine games this season, but has played 54% of the defensive snaps. Through nine games, Smith has logged 19 total tackles, two tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, and 2.5 sacks.

PRESTON SMITH AS A PASS RUSHER

Smith has been a productive pass rusher throughout his time in the league since getting drafted by the Washington Commanders back in 2015. He has logged 68.5 career sacks, 10 forced fumbles, and six fumble recoveries. Smith is a big, long edge rusher, standing 6-5, 265 pounds with 34-inch arms. He uses that length well against opposing offensive linemen as a pass rusher and run defender.

Preston Smith uses his length well to get inside the tackle’s chest, allowing him to control the block and rip off in pursuit of the passer. Watch the reps below against the Tennessee Titans, where Smith stabs the left tackle with one arm while using his other arm to lift the blocker’s arm away from his frame, helping him clear the block as he closes in on the quarterback for the sack. In the second clip, watch Smith swipe RT J.C. Latham’s arms down as he uses the arm over on the edge to clear the block around the corner and finish in the pocket for the sack, showing good dip and bend around the edge for his size.

Preston Smith moves well for his size and frame, showing good burst off the ball despite turning 32 in a couple of weeks. Watch the first clip below of Smith’s reps against Minnesota Vikings LT Christian Darrisaw from a year ago. He displays a quality burst to round the corner to the quarterback, combined with hand usage to clear the block to get into the pocket.

Preston Smith likes to counter inside when blockers commit to oversetting outside, attempting to cross the blocker’s face and apply inside pressure. Watch the rep below, where Smith rushes inside against the Indianapolis Colts. Thanks to the inside pressure, Smith forces QB Anthony Richardson to roll out of the pocket and make a throw on the move toward the sideline.

Preston Smith’s size and length can overwhelm blockers at the point of attack, but he often exposes his chest and torso by popping upright on his rush, giving blockers a big target to block. He doesn’t have the same leverage that someone like Nick Herbig possesses when rounding the corner of the pocket, as he can tend to get locked up on blocks like the play below when he exposes his chest to blockers.

PRESTON SMITH AS A RUN DEFENDER

Regarding running defense, Preston Smith is a stout edge setter who uses his size, length, and strength to his advantage to hold his own against offensive tackles and overwhelm tight ends tasked with blocking him one-on-one. Watch the clip below to see Smith manhandle the tight end tasked with blocking him on the run to his side, easily shedding the block to make the tackle in the backfield for a loss of yardage on the play.

Smith is comfortable playing in a two-point stance and with his hand in the dirt, doing a good job of keeping outside contain and crashing inside to blow up runs up the middle. Watch the clips below to see Smith line up on either side of the line of scrimmage in both stances, containing QB Jalen Hurts on the quarterback keep in the first clip while fighting across the face of the pulling guard of the Minnesota Vikings in the second clip to get in on the tackle.

The addition of Smith to the defense was a low-risk, high-reward scenario for Pittsburgh, as they only gave up a seventh-round pick for a proven pass rusher who should help shore up their run defense and give them another accomplished pass rusher behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. With Nick Herbig still on the mend from a hamstring injury, Smith can step in as that primary rotational edge rusher to give Watt or Highsmith a breather and add additional insurance in case of injury.

When Herbig returns, Pittsburgh will be running four-deep at edge rusher. Smith and Herbig are a formidable duo that can rotate in with the starters, making Pittsburgh’s pass rush more fierce as they prepare to make a run for the AFC North crown coming off their bye week with half the season left to go.