Green Bay Packers: 3 Most Disappointing Players at the Bye

Preston Smith

With the show that Za’Darius Smith put on in 2019, I think it’s easy for Preston Smith’s excellent season to be forgotten about. Last year he would record 12 sacks, which were the eighth-most in the NFL, and his 62 pressures were tied for the 15th most.

This year, however, we just haven’t seen the same dominance from Smith. Through four games, Preston has just five total pressures and a sack, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). If we extrapolate that level of production out for an entire season, he ends up with only 20 pressures and four sacks—a far cry from his 2019 production.

Now, with Kyler Fackrell no longer on the team, Smith has been asked to drop into coverage more often. This takes away pass-rushing opportunities and is also another responsibility added to his plate. But even so, this is still a significant drop in production for him through the first quarter of the season.

Much like Sternberger, I don’t see a need to hit the panic button right now, but given his production from last season compared to what he’s done through the first four games, he does end up on this list.