Za’Darius Smith Returns from IR to Face 49ers
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Za’Darius Smith is expected to be activated from injured reserve and will play in the Green Bay Packers’ playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night.
A source confirmed the initial report by ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler.
On Friday afternoon, the Packers made it official, activating Smith and fellow outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus.
More than four months after he played in his one and only game this season, Smith returned to practice on Jan. 12, the first of the team’s playoff-bye practices. He practiced all last week and all this week to put him in position to harass Jimmy Garoppolo in the divisional-round showdown at Lambeau Field.
A Pro Bowler in 2019 and 2020 after posting a total of 26 sacks those two seasons, this season was almost a total loss because of a back injury that ultimately required surgery.
“We’re just trying to get him to a position where we feel comfortable, where he (can) go out there and compete at a high level,” coach Matt LaFleur said last week of Smith’s return to practice.
After practicing only once during training camp, Smith gave it a go for the season-opening game against the New Orleans Saints. He played 18 snaps in that game, with his only impact play being the questionable roughing-the-passer penalty that wiped out an interception by Darnell Savage.
Rashan Gary and Preston Smith will remain the starters, but Za’Darius Smith will improve upon the depth that had been provided by Jonathan Garvin and Tipa Galeai.
“It’s big,” position coach Mike Smith said recently. “We’re talking about a guy that’s been a leader of our defense, a guy that’s had a lot of success, a guy that plays the game the way it should be played. We talk about all the time the toughness and how aggressive he is and his mindset towards the game. I mean, it’s big. You’ve got to scheme around Z if you’re on offense. Same thing with my other two guys. But his leadership that he brings is going to be big.”
In June, Smith was irked that he wasn’t included in a list of the top-10 edge rushers posted on Twitter by EA Sports, the makers of the Madden series.
“They’re still snubbing me,” Smith said in June of such lists, which included Smith ranking 13th among edge defenders at Pro Football Focus. “It is what it is. I feel like it adds fuel to the fire, and I’m going to continue to prove myself. I think when I came out of Baltimore, I led the team in sacks and pressures and hits. And then I came here and had a dominant year, and it was basically another snub year. And after last year, I was (fourth) in the league in sacks, (third) with forced fumbles, and they’re still snubbing me. But it is what it is. Like I said, it’s going to continue to add fuel to the fire, and I’m just going to continue to prove myself each and every year.”
It's been a trying season for Smith, who agreed to a restructured contract during the offseason to help the team get beneath the 2021 salary cap. With that, his cap number for 2022 – his final season under contract – soared to $28.1 million. With a big 2021, Smith would have been in line for a cap-saving extension. Now, he might be headed for a cost-cutting release as the Packers face a Mount Everest-sized salary-cap problem.
Regardless of the future and whatever offense he took to not being voted a team captain, Smith has worked himself into position to help the Packers get the three wins required to win their first Super Bowl since 2010.
“It’d be great,” Preston Smith said this week about potentially getting back Za’Darius Smith as well as veteran outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus from a torn bicep. “You can never have too many pass rushers. The more weapons we have on defense, the better outcome, the better we can help the outcome be for us as a team and as a unit. Those guys bring a lot of ability and they help this defense out tremendously. Whatever happens, happens, and whoever we have to play, we’re going to be excited to play with those guys and we’re going to play at a high level and everybody knows the expectations.”
