Injury Crushing Steelers Camp Darling's Chances

How Smith Suffered His Injury

A lot of eyes were on Smith heading into Pittsburgh's preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers on August 13 given how loud the noise surrounding his name was in the lead-up to the game.

The 27-year-old caught both of his targets on the night for a total of 13 yards, though he appeared to suffer an injury while covering a punt and did not return from that point forward.

The timing is unfortunate for Smith considering the impression he had been making, and it remains to be seen if he can work his way back onto the field in the near future.

Can Smith Still Stick Around in Pittsburgh?

Smith had taken first-team reps in training camp and built a rapport with several of Pittsburgh's quarterbacks, including Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers was particularly complementary of what Smith, who was a teammate of the four-time MVP with the New York Jets in 2024, displayed during the Steelers' Saturday Night Lights practice on August 8

“As you saw on Saturday Night Lights, possibly the play of the day was from Brandon Smith. He had a phenomenal practice. He made a ton of plays,” Rodgers said.

Smith also had a history with Mike McCarthy prior to joining him in Pittsburgh, as the former signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2021 and spent two years on their practice squad while the latter was the franchise's head coach.

The odds of Smith making the 53-man roster were always slim due to the fact that six wide receivers entered camp with their spots locked up, and nothing has changed on that front. That group is comprised of DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr., Germie Bernard, Roman Wilson, Germie Bernard, Kaden Wetjen and Ben Skowronek.

Keeping a seventh receiver isn't super practical as a result, though Smith was making it tough on Pittsburgh to ignore him with how well he looked in training camp.

The severity and true nature of Smith's injury is still unknown, and his chances to crack the 53-man roster might be all but gone at this point.

Assuming he is released at final roster cuts and another team doesn't pick him up, however, Smith feels like a practice squad lock should he be relatively healthy, leaving the door for him to potentially make an impact down the line this season.