When the Steelers signed quarterbacks Troy Smith earlier this offseason, they were filling a position of need since all three of Ben Roethlisberger’s backups from last year were free agents.
Byron Leftwich and Charlie Batch are back in Pittsburgh, though, and that left Smith without a chair when the music stopped on Monday. Or, to put it in non-musical chairs terms, the Steelers announced that they have released Smith from their 90-man roster. That leaves Smith without a job a month before the start of camps and more than a year removed from his last NFL experience.
Smith spent 2011 playing in the UFL where he backed up former Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli for most of the season. In a sign of how quickly things can change, Smith started six games for the 49ers in 2010 and didn’t play considerably worse than Alex Smith. He wasn’t re-signed by San Francisco, however, and now the tale of two Smiths favors Alex by more than few country miles.
Smith, the 2006 Heisman Trophy winner at Ohio State, was a fifth-round pick of the Ravens in 2007.