As we’ve done in previous years, we’re taking a look at Pittsburgh Steelers on Reserve/Future contracts for the 2026 offseason, discussing what we can expect from them during training camp and (hopefully) into the regular season. Today, an outlook on WR Brandon Smith.
Brandon Smith/WR Iowa – 6013, 218 pounds
Brandon Smith certainly isn’t the most well-known receiver on the Steelers’ roster. Heck, he’s not even the most well-known Brandon wideout on it. Brandon Johnson has a little more notoriety. But he’ll fight to make the roster like anyone else toward the bottom of the pecking order.
Spending four years in Iowa’s run-oriented offense, his college numbers weren’t special. He had just 91 career receptions for a little over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns. His 2019 season was his best, posting a 37/439/5 line that included his first and only 100-yard showing in a win over Purdue.
Nagging injuries didn’t help his cause, something we pointed out in our pre-draft scouting report.
At his 2021 Pro Day, Smith showed explosion and strength – 39.5 inches in the vert, 10’10” in the broad, 21 reps on the bench press.
What he didn’t show was speed. A 4.64 40-yard dash. Remember, Pro Days are generally viewed as “friendly” 40 times, putting up an even bigger red flag about his speed.
Light on production and wheels, Smith predictably went undrafted. He signed with the Dallas Cowboys and flashed in the preseason, catching seven passes for 67 yards and a touchdown, a 1-yard snag against Arizona. Most of his rookie year was spent on the practice squad with a brief stint on the COVID list after a positive test.
Smith did the same song and dance in 2022. A solid summer and practice squad placement. Dallas released him in January 2023.
Since then, he’s flipped teams and leagues. Two stints with the XFL/UFL DC Defenders. Cups of coffee with the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots and New York Jets. Pittsburgh signed him to a Futures deal in mid-January, days before Mike McCarthy was hired.
To date, he’s appeared in three regular season games. All with the New York Jets, he’s played just 22 total snaps (13 special teams, nine offense) and has yet to catch a pass – 0r even be targeted.
Still, he has some level of experience and has dressed for gameday. He’ll need to show something on special teams to maximize his chances to stick around.
In the 2024 and 2025 preseasons, he played a combined 18 special teams snaps. That won’t be enough to stand out. Whatever unique or uncommon he can do to stand out must be his aim. The worry is if injuries pile up at another position, his time might run out.
Smith possesses good size and has shown enough to stick in the NFL for a couple years, even if it’s been the journeyman route. But entering his fifth season, it’s put-up or shut-up time. That’s one heck of a motivator, even if it doesn’t make the math any easier.