The Green Bay Packers are 3-1-1 after six weeks and are sitting atop the NFC North following the Detroit Lions' loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
While there's still a lot of football left to be played, the Philadelphia Eagles were hit with a curveball by former Packer Za'Darius Smith. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported on Monday that Smith announced his sudden retirement from the NFL.
Stepping away from the NFL just opened a massive hole in the edge room for the Eagles, which helps the Packers since the defending Super Bowl champ is getting hit where it already hurts.
Za’Darius Smith Retired on Eagles and Left a Hole at Edge in the Process
This move is less than ideal for an Eagles team that was already struggling at that position. The Eagles are ranked 25th in the NFL with just nine sacks. They decided to let Josh Sweat walk in free agency and banked on guys like Nolan Smith, Josh Uche, Jalyx Hunt, Azeez Ojulari, and Ogbo Okoronkwo to match the lost production.
That hasn't worked thus far, with both Smith and Okoronkwo missing time with injuries. Meanwhile, Uche and Ojulari don't have a single sack this season yet.
In five games for Philadelphia, Smith had 10 total tackles, two TFLs, 1.5 sacks, and 10 total pressures. According to Pro Football Focus, he had 79 overall grade (23rd among 170 graded edge defenders), 75.9 pass rush grade (21st among 170 graded edge defenders), and 69.5 run-defense grade (31st among 170 graded edge defenders).
It shows he was still a productive player when suiting up, but didn't have the desire to stick around anymore. That puts Philadelphia in a difficult position six weeks into the season. And that's without mentioning the problems they are dealing with on the offensive side of the ball.
The Eagles were able to generate pressure last season, ranking eighth in team sacks (41) during the 2024 campaign. They haven't enjoyed that level of success this season, and that's great news for a Packers team that hopes to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
Smith spent three seasons in Green Bay from 2019-2021. In 33 games there, he had 108 total tackles, 29 TFLs, and 26 sacks. He was a force coming off the edge, but he felt it was time to hang up the cleats. While it is tough to see such a productive former Packer hang them up, his sudden retirement only helps Green Bay's hopes of bringing another trophy to Titletown.