GREEN BAY – The Packers have made the free-agent signing of former Ravens outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith official.
Here are five things to know about him.
1. He led the league’s top defense in sacks.
The Ravens ranked first in the league in yards allowed and second in points allowed a year ago, and the 6-foot-4, 272-pound Smith was their sack leader with 8½, a career-best total after posting a total of 10 sacks through his first three seasons.
2. The Packers view him as an ascending player.
Smith’s breakout 2018 campaign came when he started just half of Baltimore’s games as an edge rusher, so the Packers clearly view him as a player on the rise whose best days are still to come. Smith recorded those 8½ sacks in just 691 snaps.
3. He gets to the quarterback pretty consistently.
Pro Football Focus credited Smith in 2018 with 60 total pressures, which is a combination of sacks, hits and hurries. That was the most in the league by any player with less than 700 snaps, with the next-best total being Cameron Wake’s 54 in 517 snaps. He tallied five or more pressures in a game six times last season.
4. Despite recording more sacks than the Ravens last year, the Packers didn’t pressure the QB like that.
Green Bay’s 44 sacks a year ago topped Baltimore by one, but if you go by PFF’s pressure numbers, the contrast is stark. Smith’s 60 total pressures would have far and away led the Packers in 2018, when the top numbers were turned in by interior rushers Kenny Clark (46) and Mike Daniels (32), a duo that missed a combined nine games. Green Bay’s leader on the edge was Clay Matthews, with 30.
5. He took a long road to get to this point.
It’s not just that Smith was a fourth-round draft pick in 2015. After just one season of high school football as a senior, he played two years at East Mississippi Community College before moving on to play two seasons at Kentucky. Over those four years, he totaled 22 sacks, and his 8½ last year are his most ever in one season at any level.
Snapshots of newly-signed Green Bay Packers LB Za'Darius Smith
Baltimore Ravens defensive end Za'Darius Smith celebrates after sacking Miami Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore in the first half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Za'Darius Smith watches during NFL football training camp in Owings Mills, Md., Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, left, meets Baltimore Ravens' Za'Darius Smith before an NFL football game against the Washington Redskins, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Za'Darius Smith runs a drill during NFL football training camp in Owings Mills, Md., Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown, left, fumbles the ball as he is sacked by Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Za'Darius Smith during the second half an NFL football game, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016, in Baltimore. Cleveland recovered the ball on the play. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) throws on the run as Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Za'Darius Smith (90) pursues during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2016, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Jets won 24-16. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Za'Darius Smith (90) greets young fans, before an NFL preseason football game against the Miami Dolphins, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry (14) is tackled by Baltimore Ravens defensive end Za'Darius Smith (90) and outside linebacker Matt Judon (99) as he rushes the ball in the first half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Sean Mannion (14) is sacked by Baltimore Ravens linebackers Za'Darius Smith, left, and linebacker Matt Judon in the first half of a preseason NFL football game, Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Za'Darius Smith (90) celebrates after a play against the Tennessee Titans in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
FILE - In this Aug. 22, 2015, file photo, Philadelphia Eagles' Tim Tebow is tackled by Baltimore Ravens' Za'Darius Smith (90) during the second half of a preseason NFL football game in Philadelphia. Two people familiar with the move say the Eagles released Tebow. Both sources spoke on condition of anonymity, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015, because the team hasn't announced the decision. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Michael Vick (2) scrambles out of the pocket with Baltimore Ravens linebacker Za'Darius Smith (90) in pursuit during the second half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015 in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) speaks with Baltimore Ravens linebacker Za'Darius Smith after an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, left, looks for a receiver as he is chased by Baltimore Ravens outside linebackers Za'Darius Smith (90) and Terrell Suggs in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Za'Darius Smith warms up before an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Carson, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 23, 2018. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo)
Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Za'Darius Smith walks on the field in the second half of an NFL wild card playoff football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Za'Darius Smith (90) celebrates his sack of Buffalo Bills quarterback Nathan Peterman (2) during the first half of an NFL football game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018 in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Za'Darius Smith gestures in the first half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2018, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
