Grading the Packers on Salary-Cap Curve: Outside Linebackers

Last year, the Smith Bros. fueled the Packers’ run to the NFC Championship Game. This year, the Packers got back to the championship game with Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith providing much less impact.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Player grades are a staple series of stories at the end of every season. Ours are different, as we grade based on their impact compared to the salary cap. That’s because the cap is such a big part of building a roster. Not only must a team’s high-priced players deliver but it must have some of its less-expensive players outperform their contracts. Generally, the Green Bay Packers got those contributions on the way to a second consecutive NFC Championship Game.

Part 7 of this series focuses on the outside linebackers. All salary data is from OverTheCap.com.

Za’Darius Smith

No. 5 among edge rushers with $17.25 million cap charge

Signed to a four-year, $64 million contract in free agency in 2019, Smith had a monster debut season with 13.5 sacks. By the raw numbers, Smith was just as good in 2020 with 12.5 sacks and four forced fumbles (up from one).

The play-to-play impact diminished sharply, though. In 2019, he tied for the NFL lead with 37 quarterback hits, according to the official league stats. By ProFootballFocus.com’s count, he led the NFL with 93 quarterback pressures – the most by any edge defender since Khalil Mack had 96 for the Raiders in 2016. PFF’s pass-rushing productivity metric measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snap. Of 112 edge defenders with at least 140 rushes, he ranked No. 1.

In 2020, he ranked 10th with 23 quarterback hits, according to the league stats. At PFF, he was tied for 17th with 51 pressures and tied for 46th in its pass-rushing productivity.

At times early in the season, playing the run seemed like an unwanted hassle. During the stretch run, he played with increased toughness and discipline. He was excellent in that phase in the championship game. As a team leader, he must play with that energy all the time. Unfortunately for the Packers, he went absolutely nowhere in his pursuit of Tom Brady. With a $22 million cap number for 2021, it stands to reason that the Packers will want to reconfigure the numbers to provide much-needed cap space.

Grade: B-minus.

Preston Smith

No. 12 with $13.5 million cap charge

Smith had 24.5 sacks in four seasons as Ryan Kerrigan’s sidekick in Washington, with new coordinator Joe Barry running that defense for the first two seasons. In his final year with the team in 2018, he had only four sacks. So, it was fair to ask if Smith was worth the four-year, $52 million investment in 2019. The answer was a resounding yes. Smith had a career-high 12 sacks – as many as the previous two seasons combined.

Now, it’s fair to ask whether he’s worth the upcoming investment. Not only did he go from 12 sacks to four, but he went from 23 quarterback hits to 11 (official stats) and from 23rd with 55 total pressures to 61st with 26. He was underrated against the run, leading the team with eight stuffs (a tackle at or behind the line vs. the run).

The Packers have major cap problems and Smith’s cap number for 2021 is a whopping $16 million. Releasing him would save $8 million but he’d be useful to Barry given his experience. Playing in reverse so often to start the season under former coordinator Mike Pettine seemed to put Smith in a funk he couldn’t get out of, so perhaps he’s poised for a bounce-back season if he’s put in attack mode more often.

Grade: D-plus.

Rashan Gary

No. 53 with $3,608,480 cap charge

As promised by position coach Mike Smith, Gary took a big step forward in Year 2. As a rookie first-round pick in 2019, Gary had 21 tackles, two sacks, three tackles for losses and three quarterback hits, according to the official stats. In 2020, he had 34 tackles, five sacks, five tackles for losses and 11 quarterback hits.

Outside linebackers get paid to set the edge and rush the passer – and not necessarily in that order. Gary has been as tough as nails on the edge in both seasons against the run. As a pass rusher is where he made big strides. In 2019, 112 edge defenders rushed the passer at least 140 times. Gary tied for 58th in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snap. This year, he finished 15th and first on the team.

Gary deserves more than his 44.4 percent playing time. Just how many snaps he gets will depend heavily on Preston Smith’s future.

Grade: B-minus.

Jonathan Garvin

No. 152 with $629,821 cap charge

Garvin made no impact on defense, which isn’t surprising considering the guys ahead of him on the depth chart. Nonetheless, his rookie season was a tremendous disappointment. Linebackers who aren’t mainstays on defense absolutely must be contributors on special teams. With their combination of size, speed and experience tackling, they’re natural fits. Instead, even on Green Bay’s disastrous special teams, Garvin couldn’t get on the field. He was inactive for the second half of the season and both playoff games. He finished the season with five tackles on defense, just one pressure in 55 rushes, and no tackles on special teams.

Grade: F.

Randy Ramsey

No. 153 with $610,000 cap charge

An undrafted free agent in 2019, “Rambo” spent his rookie season impersonating the opponent’s top pass rusher while on the practice squad. He made the team in 2020. After missing the first three games due to injury, Ramsey wound up playing in 12 of the final 13 games. He finished second on the team with nine tackles on special teams. He’ll be a key figure on the kicking units, if nothing else, in 2021.

Grade: C.