Steelers-Preston Smith trade is about to be a life-saver for Pittsburgh

Maybe the Pittsburgh Steelers have a fortune teller in their front office. The team traded for linebacker Preston Smith before the trade deadline to deepen its linebacker core which includes Alex Highsmith, one of the more reliable linebackers in the league. But after Highsmith suffered an injury on Sunday, Smith might end up being a saving grace for the Steelers defense, especially if Highsmith is forced to miss time.

Highsmith rolled his ankle pretty severely and exited the game versus Washington on Sunday and he was later seen using crutches. Although there is no timetable or injury update for Highsmith, it was a pretty bad ankle turn. We will not speculate on anything but it would be mightily impressive if Highsmith is ready to go next weekend against Baltimore. Here's to hoping it's nothing more than a mild sprain.

Preston Smith made a difference in first game with Pittsburgh Steelers

Even before Highsmith's injury, Preston Smith was going to be an important piece for Pittsburgh and he didn't take long to show why in his first game donning the black and yellow. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Smith blew up a trick play attempt by the Commanders, keeping them out of field goal range and forcing a punt.

Smith has been a productive linebacker for a long time, recording 68.5 sacks and over 400 tackles in his career, which started in 2015.

The Steelers acquired him from Green Bay for a seventh-round pick in next year's draft, and Smith has probably already outplayed that value. With fellow linebacker Alex Highsmith potentially being lost to injury for a while, Smith will probably have plenty more opportunity to show the Steelers why they traded for him, too.

This is not the exactly how Pittsburgh fans envisioned Preston Smith making a difference on the Steelers defense, but the pain of potentially losing Highsmith for a bit is eased knowing that there's an experienced linebacker behind him ready to step in.