Green Bay's pass rush has struggled to generate pressure all season
The Green Bay Packers parted ways with edge rusher Preston Smith ahead of the NFL's trade deadline on Tuesday, Nov. 5, dealing the outside linebacker to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 7th-round pick in 2025.
And while it was ultimately Green Bay's decision to move on from the $52 million pass rusher with 68.5 career sacks, the call matched the wishes of Smith himself who asked off of the team earlier this season.
"Preston Smith is happy to be a Steeler," Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review posted to X on Wednesday, Nov. 6. "Says a few weeks ago he requested a trade from the Packers."
The Packers defense was beginning to phase Smith out, as his snap counts decreased over the course of the year despite Green Bay suffering through a drought with regards to QB pressure generated off of the edge.
But even despite Smith's dip in playing time and production, plus the fact that the team was likely to release him next offseason if it couldn't trade him, ESPN's Seth Walder criticized the move from the Packers' side and gave the deal a C+ grade.
In Green Bay, he recorded 2.5 sacks and had a 10% pass rush win rate that is solidly below average for an edge rusher and his worst rating since the metric was launched in 2017. His playing time had been sliding, as he played only 38% of defensive snaps in Week 9.
I can understand Green Bay wanting to shake up its lackluster pass rush and deciding to get something for Smith before they cut him next offseason, but I don't think I'd have let go of him for so little unless this is accompanied by a trade to bring in a different pass rusher. Especially because the Packers are contenders!
The Packers were widely criticized for not making a move ahead of the trade deadline this season, in large part because the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders -- both of which are Super Bowl contenders -- made relatively big splashes to improve their defenses for the stretch run.
