The Pittsburgh Steelers have a pivotal offseason ahead, as general manager Omar Khan will look to bolster a roster that suffered another first-round playoff exit and lost four straight games to end the 2024 regular season.

Pittsburgh is projected to have around $40 million in cap space this offseason, per Over the Cap. Though the franchise has plenty of money to upgrade some major positions of need, the Steelers should look to create more cap room by cutting some players.

A few players on Pittsburgh’s roster could be cap casualties this offseason, but Sportsnaut’s Matt Johnson believes edge rusher Preston Smith is an obvious cut candidate for the Steelers.

“The Preston Smith trade didn’t work out perfectly for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it cost next to nothing and he’s an obvious cap casualty in 2025,” Johnson wrote. “Assuming that move is made, the Steelers front office will have more than $50 million at their disposal this offseason. Although, Pittsburgh will have to spend far more at quarterback than it did last season.”

The Steelers traded for Smith during the 2024 trade deadline, and the veteran tallied just 13 tackles and two sacks in eight regular season games with the team.

If Pittsburgh cuts Smith at any point this offseason, the Steelers would save $13.4 million in cap space and wouldn’t incur a single dollar of dead money.

Though Smith has been a productive player in the past, as the 32-year-old has tallied 70.5 sacks in his 10-year career, the 2015 second-round pick failed to find a quality role with the Steelers and is no longer an effective pass rusher. Pittsburgh should release Preston Smith this offseason and use the $13.4 million gained from releasing him to sign an impact player.