Green Bay Packers: Grading the team’s free agency moves so far

Just hours after signing Za’Darius Smith to a multi-year deal, it was announced that another Smith would be joining the Packers. Preston Smith joins Green Bay after spending his first four seasons with the Washington Redskins. He signed a four-year, $52 million deal, according to Ian Rapoport. He also receives a $16 million signing bonus.

Between the two pass rushers Green Bay signed on Tuesday, P. Smith appears to be the more complete edge defender. While Z. Smith certainly has his value as a pass rusher, he lacks the ability to defend the run consistently.

Conversely, P. Smith can do both. He can play the run, set the edge and rush the passer. Combined, this allows him to be on the field on all three downs, rather than just as a situational pass rusher. He compares similarly to now former Packer Nick Perry in this aspect.

In four years, P. Smith has tallied 24.5 sacks in 50 starts and has never missed a game in his career (64 games). All in all, Green Bay hit a home run with this signing in terms of value and need. At 26 years old, the Packers now have a do-it-all edge defender at an average annual value of $13 million. The only question is, can he be the guy for Green Bay’s pass rush rotation? Overall, this signing gets an “A-“.