There are no signs of buyer’s remorse from the Green Bay Packers on outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith.
In fact, there’s a strong case for Smith being the top defensive player on the Packers roster through a week and a half of training camp.
“He’s everything we thought he was going to be,” coach Matt LaFleur said after practice Sunday. “I can’t say enough about the person either. He brings so much leadership to our defense. He’s been a lot of fun to be around. And I think he raises the level of everyone around him.”
Smith, who broke out with 8.5 sacks and 25 quarterbacks hits last season, signed a $66 million deal to join the Packers in free agency. He’s been a terror on the edge and inside as a pass-rusher at training camp, while also dominating in one-on-one pass-rushing drills, including a handful of wins against All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari.
During the Family Night Scrimmage on Friday at Lambeau Field, Smith and defensive tackle Kenny Clark led a dominating effort from the first-team defense. On several snaps in team drills, the Packers’ defensive front collapsed the pocket in a flash and likely would have tallied a handful of hits or sacks in normal game situations.
It was a punishing performance that the Packers are hoping continues once the real games begin.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has certainly felt the change. He recently said Smith and the other additions have added “more juice” to the Packers defense.
“It’s just a different feel on that side of the ball. I feel like there’s a little more juice,” Rodgers said.
Rookie RB in pass pro: The Packers believe rookie running back Dexter Williams is still a work in progress as a pass protector.
Coach Matt LaFleur said Williams lost a few one-on-one blocking battles against linebacker Blake Martinez during the Family Night Scrimmage when he “took his foot off the gas” during the attempts.
“That’s an area that Dexter has to improve on, the blitz pickup,” LaFleur said. “That’s true for most young backs, to be quite honest. There’s not used to seeing these kind of looks. Even the protection scheme is a little different than what he’s used to. He’s progressing.”
Williams, a sixth-round pick from Notre Dame, has been receiving first-teams reps with Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams both out with hamstring injuries.
Joint practices: LaFleur provided tentative plans for the Packers’ joint practices with the Houston Texans on Monday and Tuesday.
LaFleur said the two teams would do some 7-on-7 drills, with a lot of team activities featuring offense against defense, including some offensive line vs. defensive line work.
But don’t plan on seeing any receiver vs. defensive back drills. LaFleur said the Packers and Texans will eliminate those one-on-one drills to prevent fights, which have been common in the past between the two positions.
“We’re trying to avoid the fights,” LaFleur said.
Return of Jordy: The team announced Sunday that Jordy Nelson will retire from the NFL as a member of the Packers. A special media press conference is scheduled for Tuesday morning.
