NFL analysts despise Packers trading Preston Smith for almost nothing
By Mike Luciano
The Green Bay Packers capped off the NFL Trade Deadline with a move that few saw coming. In just a few weeks, pass-rusher Preston Smith went from a vital part of the Green Bay defense to someone the Packers felt comfortable dumping for very little at the deadline.
The Packers moved off Smith when they traded him to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a surprising trade that only netted Green Bay a seventh-round draft pick.
Smith claims that he requested a trade weeks ago, citing his displeasure with playing in a Green Bay scheme that doesn't allow him to play to his strengths.
The Packers got an extra draft pick, which may not mean much in the long run. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, has one of the deepest pass rushes in the league alongside T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig. In the eyes of NFL analysis across the media landscape, the Packers got hosed.
NFL analysts hate Packers trading Preston Smith
Publication | Writer | Grade |
|---|---|---|
FanSided | Mark Powell | C |
CBS Sports | Jordan Dajani | D+ |
Bleacher Report | B/R NFL Staff | C- |
Pro Football Focus | Gordon McGuinness | C |
Many of the criticisms of the Smith trade stemmed from the paltry return the Packers got. Even after his decline this season, Smith is a solid starter, and getting a seventh-round pick for him is one step above giving him away for free. The value is simply not there in this move.
Smith may not have adapted well to the Packers' schematic changes in the offseason, but that doesn't mean Green Bay should have thrown away someone with his pass-rush talent and experience.
While the Packers are banking on former No. 13 overall pick Lukas Van Ness becoming the player many thought he would be, is this really the wisest move when the team is fighting for a spot in the postseason amid a crowded NFC field? Van Ness has never played more than 41 percent of snaps in Green Bay.
The Packers have historically known that it is better to move off a player before they start to decline than by waiting until they have withered away. However, the reason Green Bay often comes out on top in these moves is the fact they get proper value for these players. This trade misses the mark.
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