Preston Smith’s resurgence has been a revelation for the Green Bay Packers defense. His play this season comes as a welcomed surprise on the heels of a lackluster 2020 campaign.
When the Packers signed Smith to a lucrative deal during the 2019 offseason, he responded with a breakout year that saw the talented edge rusher put up career-highs in sacks, tackles, and quarterback hits. However, Smith did not have nearly the same impact in Year 2. In fact, he experienced a significant regression that left many wondering if he would be back in 2021 at all.
Rather than part ways completely, Green Bay decided to restructure Smith’s contract. Smith’s base salary was reduced, but they granted him the opportunity to earn significant bonuses through better play. In Week 14’s game against the Chicago Bears, Smith recorded his sixth sack of the year and was rewarded a bonus of $500K as part of his new deal. Before the season is over, Smith has a realistic chance to earn a lot more.
If Smith can continue to sack opposing quarterbacks, he can earn up to $4.4 million in incentives. This time last year, Smith would have been nowhere close.
In 2020, Smith played in all 16 games last and totaled 26 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. He also recorded just 4.0 sacks, which tied the lowest total for his career. However, after just 12 games, Smith has already passed his sack total from last season and blown his pressures out of the water. PFF has officially credited Smith with 47 pressures in 2021, which is 14th among edge rushers.
Smith may not top his incredible sack numbers from 2019, but his performance this season has provided a huge boost to the defense. PFF rates the Packers as the fourth-best team in terms of pass-rushing grade. Surprisingly, they have done this without their top edge rusher Za’Darius Smith for most of the season. A lot of credit goes to Rashan Gary, who is one of the best young pass rushers in the NFL. But Smith also deserves a ton of credit for picking up the slack better than anyone could have predicted.