Getty Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport argued on March 24 that the Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the best fits for free agent left tackle Donovan Smith.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have significant needs at center and wide receiver. But that doesn’t mean the team couldn’t still add a left tackle such as Donovan Smith in NFL free agency.
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport named the Steelers one of the three best fits for Smith on March 24.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t had a losing season since 2003, but they also haven’t had even an average offensive line in years—Dallas Robinson of Pro Football Network recently ranked Pittsburgh’s front 27th in the league,” Davenport wrote. “If the Steelers want to take the next step and be more than a fringe contender, Smith would be a welcome add.”
Smith started 12 regular season games for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023. He also started all four of the team’s playoffs contests, including the Super Bowl.
Prior to the Chiefs, Smith played eight seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to begin his career. He started four playoff games, including the Super Bowl, when the Buccaneers won the NFL title during the 2020-21 season.
How Donovan Smith Could Be a LT Upgrade for the Steelers
Smith began his career as the No. 34 overall pick in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft. He started immediately at left tackle as a rookie and didn’t miss a game until his fifth season.
According to the Pro Football Focus player grades, Smith started slowly in his career. But from 2019-21, he posted a PFF grade of 70 or better every season.
In 2021, PFF ranked Smith the eighth best offensive tackle who played at least 80% of his team’s snaps.
The Steelers could desperately use that kind of upgrade at offensive tackle. However, Smith hasn’t played at that elite level since 2021.
Smith has posted the two lowest PFF player grades of his career the past two seasons. He’s particularly struggled in run blocking. PFF graded him below 50 (out of 100) in run blocking during 2022 and 2023.
With the Steelers expected to be a run-first team under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, there are questions as whether Smith really would be the best fit.
Smith, though, would be an upgrade in pass blocking over current Steelers left tackle Dan Moore Jr. Moore posted a 42.1 PFF pass protection grade during the 2023 season.
Pass blocking could be particularly key this season for the Steelers with new quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Wilson and Fields each took at least 99 sacks during the past two seasons combined.
Smith hasn’t posted elite PFF pass blocking grades the past two seasons as he did from 2019-21. But he was significantly better in pass protection than run blocking in 2021 and 2022.
Where Will Broderick Jones Play in 2024?
The Steelers could use an upgrade at tackle, but at which position depends on where they’d prefer to start 2023 first-round pick Broderick Jones.
In college, Jones starred at left tackle. But he started 10 contests during the 2023 season at right tackle.
At the NFL combine, Steelers general manager Omar Khan made it clear that it’s still the team’s future plan to have Jones anchor the Pittsburgh offensive line at left tackle. However, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin would not confirm that will begin this season.
“So much is ahead of us in terms of player acquisition,” Tomlin said at the annual league meeting in Orlando, Florida on March 24, via The TribLive.com’s Joe Rutter. “Where any specific player ends up is subject to who else is on our roster.”
Smith has only played left tackle in his career. So signing Smith would very likely be a sign that the Steelers are keeping Jones at right tackle for 2024.
If the Steelers prefer to flip Jones to his more natural position immediately, then Smith is likely not the free agent tackle for Pittsburgh to sign.