Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Jonnu Smith returned to practice on Saturday after missing the team’s entire preseason with what head coach Mike Tomlin described as knee soreness.
Smith was one of a number of offensive veterans that did not play at all in the preseason, including starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers, wide receiver DK Metcalf and left guard Isaac Seumalo.
While Smith was technically dealing with an injury, the team was mostly just being cautious with the 30-year-old tight end, who general manager Omar Khan acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins earlier this offseason.
“If that’s what you wanna call it,” Smith said about the knee soreness that’s kept him out. “We play football.”
Smith rejoined most of the rest of the first-team offense at practice on Saturday, a group that appears to be rounding into near-full health ahead of Week 1.
“It feels good, man, getting back into the flow and the rhythm of things. I understand time is of the essence,” Smith said.
#Steelers TE Jonnu Smith was back practicing this morning. Said “time is of the essence” afterward. #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/GntQ5tQj1G
— Brendan Howe (@bybrendanhowe) August 23, 2025
Smith is a key to what the Steelers plan to do on offense in 2025. With a thin group of wide receivers, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will deploy tight ends Smith, Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington as a big part of the offense in an effort to find tactical wins without overwhelming talent behind Metcalf in the team’s group of wide receivers.
“[I’m] extremely excited,” Smith said. “This is a very talented offense, man. We’ve got a lot of different, unique skillsets at each position. We’ve got a lot of advantages … and it’s up to us to bring it to fruition.”
Brendan Howe provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Get Critical Offensive Weapon Back at Practice
