Commanders Sign OLB Preston Smith

Smith, 32, has 70.5 career sacks and will bolster Washington’s edge rushing room after defensive end Deatrich Wise suffered a season-ending quad injury last week.

In a corresponding move, cornerback Jonathan Jones was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury sustained in Week 2 against the Packers. He will be sidelined for at least four games, though the team has not provided a timeline for his return.

Smith began his NFL career in Washington as a second-round pick in 2015 and impressed with eight sacks and three forced fumbles in his rookie year. He played out his first contract with the franchise, totaling 24.5 sacks and 29 tackles for loss across 64 appearances (50 starts). Smith then hit free agency in 2019, signed with the Packers for $13MM per year, and took his game up a notch with 41.5 sacks and 40 tackles for loss across his next five seasons.

However, Smith started to show signs of his age in 2024, registering just 2.5 sacks and two TFLs over his first nine games with a decreased snap share among a group of younger edge rushers. His lack of comfort as 4-3 DE under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley – compared to his prolific production as a 3-4 OLB – also contributed to his statistical downturn and led Smith to request a trade. The Packers obliged, sending him to the Steelers in exchange for a seventh-round pick. Smith saw even less playing time in Pittsburgh and added two sacks and three TFLs to his season tally. He was released by the Steelers in January and drew some interest this offseason, though it wasn’t strong enough to result in a contract before the season.

Smith will now join an edge rushing group headlined by Von Miller with several other reliable but unspectacular players. Smith will turn 33 in November and didn’t participate in training camp or the preseason, so his snap count will have to be managed, certainly early on and potentially for the rest of the season. He’s put up at least 4.0 sacks in every year of his decade in the NFL, and a repeat effort in 2025 would be a solid outcome for the Commanders defense.

Washington’s injury woes don’t stop with Jones and Wise, either. They’ve spread to the offense, too; tight end John Bates and wide receiver Noah Brown are both considered long shots to play against the Raiders in Week 3, per a pair of reports from JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington.