Noah StrackbeinOct 17, 2026

Strackbein expects the Steelers' depleted receiver room to force roster moves: practice-squad receiver Brandon Smith being elevated again in Week 6 and eventually signed to the 53-man roster, while Roman Wilson could land on Injured Reserve.

Published in writing · Sports IllustratedRead the original

0Miss · out of 100

1 week on a 53What happenedsettled

100A naive guessthe same call, no knowledge

0This callout of 100

−172Skillafter difficulty

What Noah Strackbein said

At some point, the Steelers will likely sign Brandon Smith off of the practice squad.

Our reading: Brandon Smith to land on the practice squad

Where it was published: Sports Illustrated
The piece: Steelers WR Situation Might Be Worse Than Believed
The original: Read the original
Read it wrong?: Tell us and we will look

SaidOct 17
GradedOct 17

How the call scored

a naive guessbetter than naiveworse than naive

One checkable claim, graded on its own against what actually happened.

It names 2 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

The call scored 0 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess at the same calls.

The call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same call; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.

Roster Spot Calls Brandon Smith Pittsburgh Steelers
Brandon Smith to land on the practice squad
What happened1 week on a 53
0Miss · naive 100
0this call100a naive guess−100worse than naive1.72difficulty−172skill
How this was scored
club:
PIT
skill:
−172
player:
Brandon Smith
season:
2026
claimed:
he lands on the practice squad
accuracy:
0
baseline:
100
difficulty:
1.72
the naive guess:
he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
weeks in the season:
18
weeks on the53:
1
weeks left when called:
13
first week on the53:
5
weeks on the practice squad:
5
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Who this take is about

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