Getty Preston Smith #91 of the Green Bay Packers runs a fumble recovery back for a touchdown during the 1st half of the game against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field on November 29, 2020 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The Green Bay Packers chose to go with Rashan Gary over Preston Smith in their opening defensive series against the Chicago Bears last Sunday night, but the decision wasn’t as simple as starting one outside linebacker over the other.
While some initially viewed Gary starting as an indictment of Smith, who has struggled to live up to his 2019 numbers throughout his second season in Green Bay, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters Thursday their initial defensive package was entirely based on how the Bears offense opened the game.
“It’s totally predicated on what package goes out there,” LaFleur said. “And specifically with our defense here, (defensive coordinator Mike Pettine) likes to use a variety of personnel groupings. A lot of it is dictated on what the offense presents. I mean, if they would have rolled out there in 21 personnel, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion right now cause Preston would have started, so I just wouldn’t look too much into that.”
Smith may not have been first on the field, but he still ended up playing slightly more defensive snaps (45) than Gary (43) and creating more impact plays. Not only did he tally one of three sacks against Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, but he also recovered a fumble — forced by Za’Darius Smith — that he took 14 yards for a touchdown.
He also echoed the same “don’t-worry-about-it” sentiment as his head coach, reminding how the Packers defense schemes different looks that mix and match their top three outside linebackers on a regular basis, including a package with the trio together.
“The package that was called at the beginning of the game was just the package that was called,” Smith said Thursday of not starting for the first time since he was a rookie in 2015. “It’s not necessarily like, ‘Oh, you’re not starting.’ It’s a package where RG and Z are on the field. There’s a package where me, RG and Z are on the field. There’s a package where me and RG are on the field. … So that’s just how it played out.”
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Preston Smith Hasn’t Been His 2019 Self (So Far)
The Packers’ pass-rushing production hasn’t been what it was during the 2019 season, and Smith’s dropoff between Years 1 and 2 have been a key reason why.
Eleven games into the 2019 season, Smith had logged 44 total tackles with nine tackles for a loss, 10.5 sacks, 19 quarterback hits and an interception and forced fumble each. He and Za’Darius Smith operated as one of the NFL’s better pass-rushing tandems and brought a welcomed amount of disruption for the Packers defense.
The same cannot be said for Smith after 11 games in 2020, though, despite playing just 38 fewer snaps. While his fumble recovery and sack from Week 12’s win help pad his stats, he is still sitting at just 29 tackles with only five for a loss, 2.5 sacks and seven quarterback hits. According to Pro Football Reference, Smith has also nearly missed as many tackles (four) in 2020 as he did in all of 2019 (five).
Could Preston Smith Become Cap Casualty?
The Packers are going to have to make some cuts this offseason to stay cap healthy, and Preston Smith’s name is one that continues to come up as his numbers fail to dazzle.
Smith signed a four-year, $52 million contract with the Packers during the 2019 offseason and isn’t scheduled to become a free agent until 2023, but Green Bay could take the potential out in his contract and release him this offseason to save $8 million. That’s hardly chump change with spending already projected to be tight in the spring.
The Packers also have another starter ready to take Smith’s place if he is taken out of the picture. They will be heading into the third year of Rashan Gary’s four-year rookie contract and likely looking for their former first-round pick to take on an even bigger role for their defense. No reason to think he couldn’t become an every-game starter opposite Za’Darius.
The conversation might be a little different if Preston Smith once again had 10-plus sacks on the year, but his diminished production pushes him farther into the “cuttable” column when looking at which expensive pieces the Packers could release after the season.
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