Preston Smith isn’t likely to take any snaps on offense for the Packers this season, but that isn’t stopping him from thinking about ways to assist the team’s new starting quarterback.
Smith made an appearance on NFL Network on Monday night and Jordan Love’s ascension to the starting quarterback job was part of the discussion. The veteran edge rusher said that the defense has “a lot of confidence” in the 2020 first-round pick after seeing him in practice the last three years and that the unit is taking it upon itself to make sure they do everything they can to make sure Love makes a successful transition into the starting lineup.
“With so much talent on our defense, we know we have to step it up a lot, and knowing we have a young quarterback, we have to be tremendous this year,” Smith said. “We have to make sure we step up and do our part to help [Love] to get comfortable out there on the field. Help him get the ball in great situations and get stops to let him get comfortable back there and make sure we put him in great situations. It’s not just about him putting us in great situations, but helping us be comfortable to put him in great situations with the ball in great field position and getting stops. So he can go down the field and get us touchdowns and do his thing and gain his confidence throughout the season.”
It remains to be seen how well Love does as the No. 1 quarterback in Green Bay, but any hope for a playoff run in Green Bay is going to require a strong performance from the defense and Smith will play a central role in everything they do on that side of the ball.