Packers to sign edge rusher Preston Smith, per report

The Green Bay Packers continue to improve the pass rush.

What a day it’s turning out to be for the Green Bay Packers. General manager Brian Gutekunst is making defense his focus early on in free agency.

Earlier in the day, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that the Packers are signing edge rusher Za’Darius Smith and safety Adrian Amos.

Well, the pass-rush help continues. According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, the Packers are signing Preston Smith.

Ian Rapoport reported that Smith’s contract is four years, and worth $52 million, including $27.5 million over the first two years.

And just like that, the Packers have signed three of the top defensive players in free agency. Both Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith made the list of top 25 free agents in the NFL by Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com.

Preston Smith, a second-round pick by the Washington Redskins in 2015, has 12 sacks over the past two seasons, and will help strengthen Green Bay’s defense.

Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine has to be delighted with the moves made by Brian Gutekunst so far in free agency. Edge rusher and safety were far and away the top two needs on defense entering the offseason, and Gutekunst has now gone a long way to fixing both.

These signings take a lot of pressure off in the draft. All of a sudden, edge rusher isn’t quite the need it once was, and the Packers also don’t need to draft a safety in the early rounds.

That’s not to say they won’t add a player at one of the two positions early on. For example, if edge rusher Brian Burns is there at No. 12, he would be another great addition to the defense.

But if the Packers decide to go in another direction, such as tight end, at No. 12, they will be able to add defensive talent later on. The additions of Preston Smith, Za’Darius Smith and Adrian Amos immediately make this defense a lot better.