The Green Bay Packers are making a concerted effort to address their defense this offseason, with their latest addition coming in the form of pass rusher Preston Smith, as first reported by Rob Demovsky of ESPN.
According to Josina Anderson of ESPN, the deal is four years and worth $52 million, with $16 million of that being guaranteed. Anderson added that Smith's decision came down to the Packers and the Indianapolis Colts.
Smith spent the 2018 campaign with the Washington Redskins, registering 53 tackles, four sacks, an interception, a fumble recovery, and a defensive touchdown.
The 26-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Mississippi State University, was originally selected by the Redskins in the second round (38th pick overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft.
He played in all 16 games during his rookie campaign, finishing with an impressive 30 tackles, eight sacks, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and four passes defended.
Then, the following year, Smith tallied 39 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and an interception, and in 2017, he racked up 42 stops, eight sacks, two picks, a forced fumble, and fumble recovery.
Smith has never missed a game throughout his four-year NFL career.
The Packers have also added fellow pass rusher Za'Darius Smith and safety Adrian Amos, so Green Bay is doing a whole lot of work on a defense that ranked just 19th in yards allowed and 22nd in scoring defense last season.
The Packers went just 6-9-1 and missed the playoffs in 2018, marking the first time since 2006 that Green Bay had failed to qualify for the postseason in back-to-back campaigns.
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