Steelers were a pleasant surprise for Preston Smith after he asked out of Green Bay

Brian Batko / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

As far as NFL circles go, the Steelers couldn’t be much further away from new outside linebacker Preston Smith.

He’s only ever played in the NFC, and they weren’t on his 2024 schedule when he was with the Packers. If he’s being honest, he didn’t even know their record before Tuesday.

But Smith knows now that he’s here.

He’s the rare case of a player who was dealt from a contending team at the NFL trade deadline but also went to a contending team. No harm, no foul for Smith as he leaves the six-win Packers for the six-win Steelers.

“I was excited. To be honest, a few weeks ago, I requested a trade. I didn’t feel like I was being useful in the system and it wasn’t catering to my play style,” Smith said Wednesday after his first practice in Pittsburgh. “Moving forward, I wasn’t surprised when I got the call. I got what I asked for.”

The only snag for Smith? He was about to have an off week with the Packers but was traded to a team that just had theirs. What he loses in rest and relaxation, however, he can make up for as a statistical oddity.

Since the NFL expanded to an 18-week schedule in 2021, only one player has ended up in 18 games. That was defensive lineman Leonard Williams last year with the Seahawks, but Smith is ready to be the second if it means he’s staying healthy while contributing to another winning team.

“Yeah, man, 18 straight weeks of NFL football,” Smith grinned. “It’s a blessing.”

Smith, a second-round pick by Washington in 2015, could make his Steelers debut against the team that drafted him. He noted Wednesday that he has five career interceptions to his name, four of which came those first four seasons before he left for Green Bay in free agency.

This season found Smith in unfamiliar territory as new Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley converted their base defense from a 3-4 to a 4-3. Smith feels more comfortable again with what the Steelers will ask him to do, but coach Mike Tomlin cautioned not to read too much into those adjustments given how often defenses morph into a 4-2 formation in passing situations.

“I’ve seen him inside some in Green Bay in pass-rushing circumstances,” Tomlin said. “We don’t have guardrails on it. It’s about getting to know him and seeing where that leads us.”

On the practice field, when you see Smith — listed at 6-foot-5, 265 pounds — he fills out the No. 91 jersey more like an Aaron Smith or Stephon Tuitt than your typical stand-up outside linebacker. He insisted that while he’s not as fast as a T.J. Watt, he can still drop in coverage and run with pass-catchers if needed.

Smith was a fan favorite in Green Bay as part of the 2019 free-agent class that helped pave the way to three consecutive NFC North titles and back-to-back conference championship appearances. In Pittsburgh he reunites with defensive lineman Dean Lowry but also young offensive tackle Broderick Jones, a fellow native of Lithonia, Ga., just outside of Atlanta.

“Broderick, I know him because he played on a basketball team with my little cousin,” Smith said before getting excited. “I actually watched him play his senior year in high school, his last game. That’s kind of crazy to see him in the NFL and now we’re on the same team. It dates me.”

As for his role, Smith is here to “embrace” and “accept” whatever snaps he gets behind Watt and Alex Highsmith. If they need a break, he’ll be ready.

Based on his workload with the Packers — he played 54% of the snaps in the first nine games — less could be more for Smith. He’s in a defense that fits him and vice versa.

“It could've been any team,” Smith said. “It was a relief.”