Green Bay Packers star pass rusher Za'Darius Smith has been dealing with a back injury, but he's going to play against the New Orleans Saints in a Week 1 showdown to start the season, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapaport.

Smith took to Twitter Sunday morning with a message that would seem to confirm this reporting:

https://twitter.com/zadariussmith/status/1437052137524113410

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Smith had been trending in the right direction during the week leading up to Sunday's Week 1 contest. This is a big boost for the Packers and their defense as they look to slow down the Jameis Winston-led Saints offense. Winston beat out Taysom Hill for the starting quarterback job as New Orleans starts the post-Drew Brees era.

The Packers star has made two consecutive Pro Bowls. He recorded a career-high 13.5 sacks in 2019 and followed that up with 12.5 sacks last season. Green Bay made it to the NFC Championship Game before losing in heartbreaking fashion to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

There has been a lot of drama surrounding the Packers leading up to this season, with the Aaron Rodgers situation dominating headlines. But Rodgers is now ready to roll for at least one more season in Green Bay, and Smith's Packers defense will need to be up to the task to help out Rodgers and the offense as they try to win the Super Bowl. They're on the shortlist of title contenders this season, and Week 1 against Jameis Winston and the Saints in Jacksonville will be a good test to get things started.