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The 2025 league year opened over two months ago, and since then, we've seen plenty of players sign with new teams with the hopes of supporting their families and winning football games. However, there are still plenty of players left unsigned.
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, they still have 11 players who ended their 2024 campaign on Pittsburgh's roster still in free agency, looking for their next opportunity to continue their career.
While a few of them didn't play much for Mike Tomlin's team last year, edge rusher Preston Smith played quite a bit, and now, SB Nation's Aaron Leming has listed him as a potential target for the Chicago Bears before the season starts.
Smith, 32, played his college ball at Mississippi State from 2011-14, earning All-SEC honors in his final season with the Bulldogs.
Washington selected Smith in the second round (No. 38 overall) of the 2015 NFL draft and gave him decent playing time (48%) as a rookie that turned into a starting role the following year. In four seasons with the team, he appeared in 64 games and recorded 168 tackles (29 for a loss), 24.5 sacks, 13 passes defensed, four interceptions, four forced fumbles and three fumbles recovered.
Smith inked a four-year, $52 million deal with the Green Bay Packers in 2019 and went on to play in 91 games over six seasons with the team, finishing with 262 tackles (42 for a loss), 44 sacks, 14 passes defensed, six forced fumbles, three fumbles recovered and an interception.
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Last year, Green Bay traded Smith to the Steelers midseason for a 2025 seventh-round pick. He appeared in eight games for Pittsburgh and totaled 19 tackles (two for a loss) and 2.5 sacks.
The Steelers released Smith earlier this offseason, as he's obviously in the back-half of his career. They selected Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer in the fourth round of this year's draft, and the rookie may be able to make up for the lost production.
Meanwhile, Chicago is looking for help on the edge after losing Jacob Martin and Darrell Taylor in free agency. While signing former Indianapolis Colts edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo helps, bringing in another veteran to the group couldn't hurt.
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