ZA'DARIUS SMITH NEWS

Listed as questionable for Sunday Smith (knee) is questionable for Sunday's contest against the Saints.

Impact Smith didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday, but he returned as a limited participant Friday, giving himself a chance to suit up in Week 4. Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said Smith got reps in team period and did a little bit of everything during his limited session, and while the pass rusher is trending in the right direction, he's going to be a true game-time call ahead of Sunday's 9:30 AM ET kickoff. If Smith is ruled out, D.J. Wonnum, Patrick Jones and Luiji Vilain would be candidates for increased snaps opposite of Danielle Hunter.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Not practicing Wednesday Smith (knee) didn't practice Wednesday.

Impact Smith played a season-high 61 defensive snaps during the team's Week 3 win over the Lions, but he presumably picked up a knee issue as well. His absence Wednesday is concerning, especially given he's coming off a season-long back injury, but the veteran pass rusher will still have two more opportunities to practice before Minnesota needs to make a decision on his status for Week 4.

SEPTEMBER 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

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JULY 28, 2022 • STARTRIBUNE.COM

Ready to make impact in Minnesota Smith (back/undisclosed) is healthy in advance of training camp and looking to make a major impact for Minnesota in 2022, Arif Hasan of The Athletic reports.

Impact Smith missed nearly the entire 2021 campaign due to a back injury and had a four-year deal with the Ravens fall through this offseason due to an issue with his physical. The former All-Pro linebacker also was sidelined during parts of the Vikings' OTA practices for precautionary reasons after sustaining a minor undisclosed injury. Regardless, Smith is healthy now and looking to reclaim his spot as one of the league's top pass rushers during the 2022 season.

JUNE 27, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Precautionary absence Wednesday Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said Smith wasn't at Wednesday's practice for precautionary reasons after sustaining an undisclosed injury, Chad Graff of The Athletic reports.

Impact After a deal with the Ravens fell through earlier in the offseason, Smith opted to sign a three-year, $42 million deal with the Vikings. The 29-year-old pass rusher was limited to just two appearances last year due to a back issue, so while his absence Wednesday was labeled as precautionary, his health already bears watching heading into 2022.

JUNE 1, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Headed to Minnesota Smith signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the Vikings on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Impact Smith was released by the Packers in mid-March and appeared to have quickly signed a new contract to reunite with the Ravens. However, for an undisclosed reason that deal fell through, so the former All-Pro pass rusher returned to the open market where he was courted by his former team's division rival. Smith missed nearly all of 2021 while recovering from back surgery, but he did return for Green Bay's final playoff game and even recorded a sack during the loss to San Francisco. Before the injury-plagued 2021 campaign, he recorded back-to-back double-digit sack seasons with the Packers and figures to provide a powerful one-two punch with Danielle Hunter (pectoral) during the 2022 campaign.

MARCH 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Back for second stint in Baltimore Smith agreed Wednesday with the Ravens on a four-year contract, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Impact The contract reportedly is for $35 million, with another $15 million available in incentives. Smith thus returns to the team that drafted him in the fourth round back in 2015, reaching an agreement with the Ravens just two days after the Packers released him. A back injury (and subsequent surgery) limited Smith to one regular-season game and one playoff game in 2021, but prior to that, he had 13.5 and 12.5 sacks in his first two seasons with the Packers. He'll turn 30 years old in September and is locked in as a starting outside linebacker for Baltimore.

MARCH 16, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

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FEBRUARY 9, 2022 • FOX SPORTS

Barely plays in 2021 Smith recorded one tackle in his lone regular-season appearance of the 2021 campaign.

Impact After suffering a back injury Week 1 and then undergoing surgery in early October, Smith missed the rest of the regular season, but he returned to action for Green Bay's divisional-round playoff loss to the 49ers. He played 37 percent of defensive snaps in his return, sacking Jimmy Garoppolo during his lone tackle of the game. The Packers have significant salary issues to address this offseason, and Smith's scheduled cap hit of just under $28 million for the 2022 effectively guarantees that to remain with the team, he would need to restructure his deal.

FEBRUARY 9, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Greg Jennings: 'Packers are nowhere close to a rebuild'

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JANUARY 25, 2022 • FOX SPORTS

Activated from injured reserve Smith (back) was activated off injured reserve Friday, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Impact As expected, Smith will be available for Saturday's divisional matchup with the 49ers. However, it remains unclear what kind of workload he will have. The star pass rusher has been on injured reserve since the season opener and underwent back surgery in late September, so it's a surprise just to see him back on the active roster. The Packers will also be getting back Whitney Mercilus (biceps). In corresponding moves, Green Bay released Isaac Yiadom and Jack Heflin.

JANUARY 21, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Expected to play The Packers are expected to activate Smith (back) from injured reserve for Saturday's game against the 49ers, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Impact The Packers may get two of their best players back from lengthy absences this week, with CB Jaire Alexander (shoulder) listed as questionable on the final injury report. Alexander last played Week 4 and Smith in Week 1, with the pass rusher undergoing back surgery in late September. It's unclear what kind of workload Smith is expected to handle in his first game back, assuming he is in fact activated from IR.

JANUARY 21, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

NFL playoff picks: Forecast for NFC divisional round

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JANUARY 18, 2022 • FOX SPORTS

Returns to practice The Packers have designated Smith (back) for return from IR, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Impact Coach Matt LaFleur said Smith will practice Wednesday, which is an encouraging step in his recovery from back surgery. Smith has been on injured reserve since Green Bay's season opener, and with the team beginning the postseason with a bye week, he will have a bit more time ramp up his on-field activity.

JANUARY 12, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Set to practice this week Coach Matt LaFleur said Monday he expects Smith (back) to return to practice Wednesday, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Impact Smith has been on injured reserve since playing limited snaps in the season opener, and he subsequently underwent back surgery in early October. The 29-year-old hasn't practiced in months, so he'll likely need to work his way back into game shape before having a chance of being activated. The Packers have a bye for the opening round of the playoffs, and it remains to be seen if Smith will be ready to play in the first postseason game.

JANUARY 10, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Not expected to practice Smith (back) is not expected to participate in practice for the Packers leading up to their Week 16 contest with the Browns, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

Impact Smith hasn't been able to return to the field since Week 1, where the linebacker suffered a serious back injury that required surgery. Coach Matt LaFleur was hopeful Smith would be able to return in Week 14 but the 29-year-old is still rehabbing from surgery and needs time. While Smith will likely miss Week 16, the Packers will have two more regular-season games for Smith to get reps in before the playoffs start. His next chance to return to the field will likely be in Week 17 against the Vikings.

DECEMBER 21, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Hoping to return in Week 14 Coach Matt LaFleur said Monday that the Packers are hopeful Smith (back) can return in Week 14, Mike Spofford of the Packers' official site reports.

Impact Smith has been sidelined since the first week of the season and underwent back surgery at the end of November, but the Packers have remained optimistic that he will be able to return this season. When asked if Smith will be available in Week 14, LaFleur said, "certainly we hope so," and "we'll see where we're at on Wednesday." So, while there continues to be optimism surrounding a potential return against the Bears on Sunday Night Football, there likely won't be any official update to Smith's status until Wednesday at the earliest.

DECEMBER 7, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

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NOVEMBER 24, 2021 • FOX SPORTS

Gets surgery, out indefinitely Smith (back) will be out for an extended period after having surgery earlier this week, but the Packers are hoping he'll return at some point this season, Mike Garafolo of NFL Netw...

Impact Based on initial reports, there's at least some chance the surgery turns out to be season-ending. The campaign does last a week longer this year, and Green Bay is among the more likely teams to still be playing late in January. Still, the team will be without its top pass rusher for most of the season, with Smith landing on IR after he tried to play through the injury Week 1 and now requiring a procedure after rest wasn't enough to fix the problem.

OCTOBER 1, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Lands on IR The Packers placed Smith (back) on injured reserve Friday, Aaron Wilson of Sportstalk 790 Houston reports.

Impact Smith has been dealing with a back injury since the beginning of training camp, but he was able to suit up for Week 1. The 29-year-old played just 29 percent of the snaps against the Saints and drew a roughing the passer penalty that nullified an interception. He will now be given a chance to focus on rehab as he will be forced to miss at least three weeks while he is on IR. The Packers signed Ladarius Hamilton off Tampa Bay's practice squad, but Rashan Gary and Preston Smith will likely see the majority of pass-rushing snaps while Smith is inactive.

SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Slated to miss time The Packers are expected to keep Smith (back) sidelined for an undetermined amount of time, Wes Hodkiewicz of the team's official site reports. "Z's not going to be out there," coa...

Impact Smith has been dealing with a back injury since the early days of training camp, which didn't allow him to get on the field during the preseason, along with most of the Packers' healthy top players. He was able to give it a go Week 1 against the Saints, however, playing 29 percent of the defensive snaps (18 of 62) en route to one solo tackle. Smith emerged from the contest as a DNP on Thursday's practice report, and it now appears he'll spend some time on IR until he gets his back back to full health.

SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

No practice Thursday Smith (back) was a non-participant at Thursday's practice.

Impact After missing the entire preseason due to a back injury, Smith gave it a go Week 1 against the Saints but managed to play just 18 of 62 defensive snaps (29 percent). That's a far cry from last season, when he regularly logged 80 percent of those plays most games. Speaking of Smith, coach Matt LaFleur told Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com on Thursday, "we're not going to play him as much as we'd like to until we know he's healthy enough to do that." Until Smith is able to make it through practice without issue, the Packers will limit his playing time on a weekly basis.

SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 • ROTOWIRE