Green Bay, Wes. – by Darius Smith He managed to prepare for the Green Bay Packers’ season inaugural season after struggling with a back injury throughout training camp, but the Packers shut it down after playing only 18 shots in the loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Coach Matt LaFleur said Friday that his team will put Smith in the injured reserve. This means he will miss at least three matches before he is eligible to return but could waste more time than that.
The Packers weighed in by keeping him on the active roster and limiting his playing time but instead decided to keep him until at least the October 10 game at the Cincinnati Bengals.
“Why don’t we try to make him as healthy as possible so we can easily save him, hopefully?” LaFleur said.
Smith, who has made two Pro Bowls in many seasons since signing a four-year, $66 million deal with the Packers in 2019, is one of only three players in the NFL with 12 sacks in each of the past two seasons. (Aaron Donald And TJ Watt The others are).
He wanted a contract extension this season, but instead the Packers turned some of his base salary and slate bonuses into a signing bonus that was promptly paid last month, which, according to a source, didn’t meet his expectations. Smith, who has not spoken to reporters since the start of training camp, also appeared to be upset that he had not been re-elected as captain. Shortly after the captains were announced last week, Smith tweeted: “Wow” by scratching an emoji on his chin.
Smith was reported to training camp with a back injury and was put on the list of non-football related injuries. He trained only once in camp before it was closed again until the first week. He trained three times on a limited basis in the opening match week.
The highlight of his 18-time stint against the Saints was a huge blow to the quarterback James Winston That I was forced to intercept before Darnell Savage, but the turnover was wiped out by a harsh penalty for Smith – a penalty the Packers had fiercely argued against.
The Packers signed OLB LaDarius Hamilton of the Buccaneers coaching team to take Smith’s place on the roster. Hamilton was a discredited free agent with the Cowboys in 2020, but a waiver of waivers was claimed by Tampa Bay in their last off-season. Preston Smith The 2019 first round selection rashan running It will start on the edge and Jonathan Garvin And Chauncey Rivers They will serve as primary backups for Monday night’s game against the Detroit Lions.