The Green Bay Packers surprised a lot of people when they claimed Tremon Smith earlier this week because they had a kick returner and have plenty of depth at cornerback.
Now that the Packers have traded away Trevor Davis to the Oakland Raiders, it makes more sense that Smith is on the roster, and he is a dynamic kick returner that should step into the new role almost immediately.
Smith said the secret to returning kicks is pretty simple, trust your teammates, run fast, and don't be scared of the big hit.
“Trusting your teammates and hitting it full speed and trusting that they’re going to have their blocks,” Smith said via Maven Sports. “It’s hitting it full speed and running as fast as possible, and you can’t be scared, either. You can’t run scared; that’s when you get hit hard.”
“It’s scary but you can’t be scared,” he added. “My first few, I wasn’t scared but I was nervous. I was like, ‘These are grown men trying to come knock my head off every play.’”
Smith ran a 4.32 in the 40 and it's a big reason why he spent some time during the preseason on the offense. With the Packers, it's unclear if he will be tried out on offense, but with his kick return ability, there is no doubt Smith will be counted on with special teams.
It's still a bit odd the Packers decided to move on from Davis, but they have to have a lot of confidence in Smith and feel like he can step up and fill the role.
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