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The Pittsburgh Steelers are acquiring standout pass rusher Preston Smith from the Green Bay Packers before the deadline, per multiple reports. The Steelers are sending a seventh-round pick to the Packers for Smith, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
This is the second trade the Steelers have agreed to on Tuesday, as the team is also acquiring wide receiver Mike Williams from the New York Jets.
The Steelers, who enter Week 10 at 6-2 and in first place in the AFC North, are loading up ahead of Tuesday's deadline to aid a postseason run.
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Smith, 31, is a veteran pass rusher whose career began back in 2015. Smith spent the first four years of his career with Washington, before joining the Packers in 2019, where he's been ever since.
Smith has 68.5 career sacks across his 10 seasons. His best personal season came in 2019 when he had 12 sacks and 23 quarterback hits in his debut season in Green Bay.
Through nine games this year, Smith has 19 tackles and 2.5 sacks. However, he's only played in 54 percent of Green Bay's defensive snaps, which is the lowest of his career since his rookie season. For reference, Smith played 66 percent of snaps last year, and 80 percent of snaps in 2022.
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So, the Packers felt Smith was expendable, and are sending him to Pittsburgh in a rare trade between the league's top contenders.
The Steelers are continuing to load up on what's already one of the best defenses in the NFL, and the Packers will get draft compensation.
In addition to Smith, the Steelers also acquired Williams from the Jets. Williams joined the Jets this offseason on a one-year, $10 million deal, but didn't exactly pan out. Williams had just 12 catches for 166 yards across his nine games, and then fell even more out of the rotation with the addition of star wideout Davante Adams.
Williams was a prime trade candidate following the Jets' acquisition of Adams, and the Steelers jumped on the opportunity to add another receiver.
The Steelers have now added playmakers on both sides of the ball as the deadline nears.
The NFL trade deadline is at 1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. ET. Stay tuned on Newsweek Sports for the latest NFL news and all the latest trades.
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About the writer
Noah Camras is a Newsweek contributor based in Los Angeles. His focus is on sports content. Noah has been with Newsweek since March ... Read more