LaFleur Adds Clements to Coaching Staff, Loses Smith

Under Mike Smith's tutelage, Za'Darius Smith and Rashan Gary became stars.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers officially welcomed back Tom Clements as quarterbacks coach on Friday, a big addition to Matt LaFleur’s coaching staff, but suffered the first loss to his defensive staff this offseason.

As first reported by ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky and confirmed by a source, outside linebackers coach Mike Smith is leaving the team to “pursue other opportunities.”

Smith was part of LaFleur’s inaugural coaching staff in 2019 and made his mark in three seasons. Za’Darius Smith went from part-time starter with the Baltimore Ravens from 2015 through 2018 to Pro Bowler in 2019 and 2020 with the Packers. And Rashan Gary went from a traits-based first-round draft pick in 2019 to ascending star under Smith’s tutelage and belief.

After the 2019 draft, Mike Smith said he had Gary rated ahead of Nick Bosa, who went No. 3 to San Francisco. Gary went No. 12.

“We wouldn’t get [Bosa], but I want to see where he’s at and compare [Gary],” he said. “Going into that, I knew we had a chance. I honestly didn’t think he was going to 12. I thought he was going to go way before that with how I evaluated him and looked at him. I thought he was the best in college football as an outside linebacker. I had him No. 1 because I believed in him, so I was very excited when we got him. I was running down the hallway. I know what he has and I know what he can do and I’m excited to work for him.”

Gary barely played as a rookie behind Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith. Nonetheless, Mike Smith’s belief never wavered.

“There was a play in practice last week and it just gave me goosebumps,” Smith said midway through the 2019 season, pulling up his right sleeve and rubbing his arm. “I’m looking at Gary, and he gets up there and he points like ‘Toss, toss, toss.’ Gets up, lines up, goes and makes the play. That’s a big play and a big thing for a rookie. I make him stand by me so he can spit it out. That’s when you know, that’s when you play fast. Show me a guy, and it’s going to be rare, that doesn’t understand backfield sets, that’s going to be successful year in and year out in the league. It is rare. I haven’t seen one yet in 12 years … That’s how Gary’s going be great, because he has all the tools.”

Gary took a step forward in 2020 and another huge step forward in 2021 in becoming a building-block type of player. While he had “only” 9.5 sacks, he finished second among edge rushers in pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.

After the season-ending loss to San Francisco, Gary got a bit emotional discussing his three years with Smith.

“Me and Coach Smith, we have a close relationship,” Gary said. “We’ve been riding three years long. Just having a coach that wants you to do good, he wants to see you be successful, it only makes you want to push even harder to be successful for yourself, even other than your personal goals. Having a coach like that that cares for you and keeps pushing for you, up and down, don’t matter what time of the night. It could be 12 at night and I’ll ask him for plays. ‘This is what I’m seeing on this,’ and he’s up and he’s giving it to me. I’m hungry for information and he’s a coach that’s able to give it to me. Just having a coach like that that makes my job easier, I love it. Me and Coach, sorry to get a little choked up, but me and him have a good relationship.”

Smith presumably will be missed by all his players. He’ll definitely be missed by reporters for his candor, personality and storytelling ability. Such as this moment:

Clements was an assistant under Mike McCarthy from 2006 through 2016. That meant he worked alongside Aaron Rodgers during the quarterback’s first nine seasons as a starter. When Clements left following the 2016 season, Rodgers’ relationship with McCarthy became more and more strained.

While Rodgers has flourished in three seasons under LaFleur, Rodgers regularly referenced Clements’ impact on his career. Discussing the impact of body language on Jan. 18, Rodgers said: “I’m thankful, deeply thankful, to guys like Joe Philbin and Tom Clements and Alex Van Pelt, who’ve helped me understand that facet of leadership and being a quarterback.”

Grading the Outside Linebackers

Za’Darius Smith ($14.62 million cap charge; ranking No. 7 among edge defenders)

As a Pro Bowler in 2019 and 2020, Smith piled up 26 sacks, 60 quarterback hits and five forced fumbles. He was a driving force behind defenses that reached back-to-back NFC Championship Games. This season was a disaster, though. He showed up to training camp with a back injury and practiced only once. He gave it a go in Week 1 and played 18 snaps before being shut down and ultimately having surgery. He was back for the playoffs and recorded a sack on his first snap but did nothing else of note for his final 18 snaps.

So, that was it: 37 snaps, one sack.

Smith was one of numerous veterans who restructured his contract to help the team get beneath the salary cap, so his base salary in 2021 was the league-minimum $990,000. His cap number for 2022, his final season under contract, will soar to $27.66 million. There’s no way he’s going to play under that contract. Either the Packers will extend him and hope for a Preston Smith-style bounce-back or they’ll dump him and save $15.28 million against the cap. To keep him, GM Brian Gutekunst better be sure of his commitment.

Grade: F.

Preston Smith ($8.73 million cap charge; ranking No. 21 among edge defenders)

After a dismal 2020 season in which he collected only four sacks, Smith returned on an incentives-laden restructure and had a superb season with nine sacks and two forced fumbles. He was excellent in every way, from rushing the passer to run defense to leadership.

Of 80 edge defenders with at least 214 pass rushes, he tied for 15th in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snap. He tied for ninth with a career-high 62 pressures and was 14th with a pass-rush win rate of 18.1 percent. Against the run, he had five stuffs (a tackle at or behind the line of scrimmage). The run defense was 0.40 yards per carry better when he was on the field. He had one tackle for every 17.7 snaps.

With a strong season, he’s probably in line for a contract extension. Last year’s restructure helped the team get beneath the salary cap. In 2022, his final year under contract, his cap number will soar to $19.72 million. The Packers can move on and save $12.47 million against the cap.

Grade: B.

Rashan Gary ($4.33 million cap charge; ranking No. 36 among edge defenders)

A traits-based first-round pick in 2019 who had only 3.5 sacks during his final season at Michigan, Gary backed up the belief of general manager Brian Gutekunst and outside linebackers coach Mike Smith with a fantastic third season. He led the team with 9.5 sacks and 28 quarterback hits, the latter figure almost doubling up Preston Smith’s second-ranked 15. Of the 80 edge defenders with at least 214 rushes, Gary ranked third in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity. He ranked second in the NFL in both pressures (81) and pass-rush win rate (26.0 percent). He's just so powerful and relentless.

He had one tackle for every 14.8 snaps. Against the run, he had eight stuffs – most on the unit and second on the team. However, he needs to be consistently better against the run. The team’s run defense was 0.15 yards per carry when he was not on the field, which is hard to believe given his ability to set an edge through brute force. On a critical third-and-7 on the season-ending series against San Francisco, Gary charged upfield and Deebo Samuel ran right past him for a gain of 9 to set up the final field goal.

Grade: A-minus.

Jonathan Garvin ($799,821 cap charge; ranking No. 137 among edge defenders)

A seventh-round pick in 2020, Za’Darius Smith’s prolonged absence put Garvin on the field for 395 snaps – 310 more than his rookie season. He collected 19 tackles, including 1.5 sacks, in 16 games. As a pass rusher, he tied for 46th in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity. His pass-rush win rate was 12.1 percent, which tied for 58th. He had one tackle for every 20.8 snaps.

However, he was inactive for the playoffs. That was partially due to Za’Darius Smith’s return but also because he wasn’t good enough as a run defender. The run defense was 0.22 yards per carry better when he was not on the field. His average tackle vs. the run came 3.5 yards downfield – far and away the worst mark on the unit.

Grade: D-plus.

Whitney Mercilus ($716,667 cap charge; ranking No. 146 among edge defenders)

The Texans dumped the veteran after Week 6 to focus on some of their younger players. The Packers were thrilled to get him, and the change of scenery did Mercilus some good. In six games in Houston, he had two sacks and five pressures in 110 opportunities. In his first four games in Green Bay, he had one sack and 10 pressures in 80 pass-rushing snaps. He suffered a torn biceps in Week 10 against Seattle. He was back for the playoffs but didn’t do much in limited action. It was a very small sample size – he mostly played on passing downs – but his run defense was not nearly good enough. With five tackles, his tackle rate was 21.4 snaps per tackle.

Mercilus will turn 32 just before the start of training camp. If one or both of The Smith Bros. doesn’t return, he’d be a wise addition for veteran depth.

Grade: C-minus.

Chauncey Rivers ($469,444 cap charge; ranking No. 173 among edge defenders)

A waiver-wire addition from the Ravens, Rivers started the season as a key backup and special-teams performer before suffering a torn ACL at practice. In four games, he played 54 snaps on defense and finished with two tackles (27.0 snaps per tackle). With just one pressure in 32 chances, he finished last among the team’s outside linebackers in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity and next-to-last with a pass-rush win rate of 9.4 percent. He played another 44 snaps on special teams but didn’t get in on the action. Position coach Mike Smith liked his physicality and demeanor.

Grade: F.

Tipa Galeai ($293,333 cap charge; ranking No. 182 among edge defenders)

Galeai went from the practice squad to key backup thanks to all the injuries. Playing off the bench for the final seven games, he averaged 21.7 snaps and contributed 12 tackles and one sack. He had one tackle for every 12.7 snaps. He was active ahead of Garvin for the playoff game.

All the Packers’ outside linebackers are big, physical guys. Not Galeai. He is undersized and quick, which gives him a chance to contribute as a change-of-pace rusher. That didn’t show up this season, though. Galeai had five pressures in 89 pass rushes. His pass-rush win rate was a unit-worst 9.0 percent. Moreover, the run defense was 0.40 yards per carry better when he was not on the field, though he did chip in three stuffs – only two fewer than Preston Smith. With his size and athleticism, he needed to deliver more than one tackle on special teams.

Grade: D.

La’Darius Hamilton ($128,534 cap charge; ranking No. 202 among edge defenders)

The Packers raided the Buccaneers’ practice squad to get Hamilton after Za’Darius Smith was shut down in mid-September. An undrafted free agent in 2020, he played 64 snaps on defense in six games and contributed three tackles (all against the Rams), two quarterback hits and three pressures in 36 rushes. His pass-rush win rate was 17.1 percent; the league median was 14.2 percent. He had one tackle for every 21.3 snaps.

The Packers released him on Nov. 13, re-signed him to the practice squad and wisely retained him with a futures deal. To make it, he’ll need to be a presence on special teams. He logged only six snaps in that phase this season, so clearly the coaches didn’t think he was good enough to even help that woeful unit.

Grade: C-minus.