Preston Smith on Himself: ‘Damn, You’re Old’

Having smashed the even-year curse, Preston Smith is the oldest player on the Green Bay Packers' defense. He will play a key role as a leader and pass rusher in 2023.

Author:
Bill Huber
Updated:
Jun 7, 2023 3:53 PM EDT
Original:
Jun 7, 2023

In this story:

Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Preston Smith is old.

“I think about it all the time,” the 30-year-old Smith said following Packers OTAs on Tuesday. “Like, dang. I wake up and I’m like, ‘I’m really old.’ I remember being that young kid walking in and you hear somebody say, ‘I’m on Year 8 or 9,’ you be like, ‘Damn, you’re old.’

“Now, it’s like looking in the mirror. I’m like, ‘Damn, you’re old.’ It’s like looking back on my 22-year-old self, telling me I’m as old as hell in this league. I’m just happy to be here, man, to make it this long and pass many expectations or pass what people may have believed or projected. I’m just happy to be here and embrace Year 9.”

Smith, who will turn 31 in November, is one of three players who are 30-plus years old on the roster and the only player on defense. With the release of Za’Darius Smith last offseason, being the leader of the outside linebackers is nothing new. However, following the exodus of Aaron Rodgers, Marcedes Lewis, Randall Cobb and Adrian Amos this offseason, Smith is an anomaly on a young roster.

“I’m the oldest person on defense right now and I’m still young,” Smith said. “It’s crazy to say that. I’m the vet on the defense. It’s the first time in my history that I’ve been the vet on defense. It’s a task I’m willing to accept. A lot of younger guys are coming up [that] you want to take under your wing and try to develop in the right way, especially if you know they can help the team.”

With 23-year-old Kingsley Enagbare likely to play a larger role in Year 2 and with 21-year-old Lukas Van Ness being one of three rookies on the depth chart, being the vet is a role Smith is comfortable playing.

“I don’t think I have to change my approach,” Smith said. “With these guys and dealing with them, I feel like I already embraced that role since being here to help the young guys. Especially if you see something I can critique that can help with their game or anything I critique to help them be better, that’s all I aim for is seeing a lot of guys do great and be successful in this league.”

Smith, obviously, is much more than just the “old” guy on defense. Rather, he remains one of the league’s better edge defenders and pass rushers.

Notably, he is coming off a season of 8.5 sacks and 20 quarterback hits. In the process, he smashed to bits what had been the odd-year, even-year yo-yoing of his career. In his three previous even-year seasons, Smith had 4.5 sacks and 12 quarterback hits in 2016, four sacks and 16 quarterback hits in 2018 and four sacks and 11 quarterback hits in 2020.

“It felt like it was a curse,” he said. “I felt like last year I had to really hone in on my skills and not focus on it as much. Just worry about doing my assignment and being as best I can each play. So, when I got the opportunity, I made sure I maximized it, and I went out there and made the plays and got the sacks that got me over that hump and broke the curse.”

The flip side to the “curse” are the odd-year blessings. With Washington, he had eight sacks as a rookie in 2015 and eight sacks in 2017. With Green Bay, he set career highs with 12 sacks and 23 quarterback hits in his debut season of 2019 and added nine sacks and 17 quarterback hits in 2021.

“There’s been a lot of good numbers on the odd years, and I’m looking forward to the odd Year 9,” he said.

The Packers will need the best of Smith in every form and fashion in 2023. They’ll need him as a pass rusher, with Rashan Gary coming off his torn ACL and first-round pick Van Ness having to learn as he goes. They’ll need him to be a driving force in fixing a porous run defense.

They’ll need him as a leader, too, so the defense can start strong and lift an offense that might be a work in progress given the transition from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love at quarterback.

“We know we have to come out striking this year on defense, and we know we have to do our best to help the team out,” Smith said. “The mentality around here has been great. Even with the guys that’ve been missing, just being in communication with those guys, everybody has an upbeat spirit and everybody’s ready to work, and we’re ready to be better than we were last year.”