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Former Baltimore Ravens pass rusher Za'Darius Smith is now officially a member of the Green Bay Packers. Not only that, but the veteran defender has been nothing short of incredibly impressive throughout his brief stint in Green Bay.
Smith, who notably inked a $66 million free agent contract with the Packers most recently took over a joint practice that took place alongside the Houston Texans, according to a report from Zach Kruse of USA TODAY Sports.
“On one early play, Smith and rookie Rashan Gary each collapsed the pocket with bull-rushes from the outside and forced a hurried, inaccurate throw from [quarterback Deshaun] Watson. Later, he lined up inside, stunted outside and likely would have obliterated Watson on a dead sprint in a real game situation.”
“Arguably his best rush came on the final play of the two-minute drill. And this time, he actually hit Watson – accidentally. Smith blew past rookie offensive lineman Tytus Howard on an inside rush and then was pushed into Watson by Howard, causing an unintentional collision [and sack] that ended the two-minute period.”
The Packers definitely received an upgrade defensively due to the addition of Smith, who can obviously wreak tons of havoc in opposing backfields.
While it is no secret that the Packers offense, led by future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers, can produce at a high rate, the team's defense surely needs to pick it up if Green Bay is going to compete in the NFC North division alongside the powerful Chicago Bears, dangerous Minnesota Vikings and pesky Detroit Lions.
