The Washington Commanders have added some more pass rush depth, signing EDGE Preston Smith to return to the organization that drafted him a decade ago.
Smith, now 32, was the then-Redskins’ second-round pick in 2015, and over four seasons in Washington, he played in all 64 games and notched 168 tackles and 24.5 sacks. He then spent 5 ½ years in Green Bay before being dealt to Pittsburgh at last season’s trade deadline, and he has 70.5 career sacks – including a career-high 12 in 2019 – over 10 seasons.
Last year, split between the Packers and Steelers, he had 32 tackles and 4 ½ sacks.
Smith has also been durable, playing in 163 of 164 possible team games throughout his career – Week 7 of 2021 was the only game he has missed – but he had been a free agent since being released by Pittsburgh in February.
Washington had brought Smith in for a workout earlier this week as they look to replace Deatrich Wise Jr., who signed a one-year deal this offseason but was lost to a season-ending quad injury in Week 2.
To make room on the 53, the Commanders moved CB Jonathan Jones to IR; Jones left the Week 2 loss to Green Bay with a hamstring injury, an issue he also dealt with leading up to the season-opener against the Giants.