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The move announced by coach Matt LaFleur earlier today was made official on Friday. The Green Bay Packers put outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith on the injured list.
Smith, who suffers from a persistent back injury, was replaced on the 53-man roster by outside linebacker La’Darius Hamilton, who was retired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad.
Ahead of Friday practice, LaFleur said the Packers were shutting down Smith “for a while”.
The team are hoping to bring Smith back to 100% this season.
“It’s fair, are you keeping him in a limited role?” Or do you shut it down for a while, try to get it back healthy, and then get it to how many clicks we’d like it to be, just like it has been in the past? He’s such an impactful player. So that’s just the road we thought was the best in the long run, ”said LaFleur.
Smith missed most of training camp, but played 18 snaps in the season opener against the New Orleans Saints. He started the camp on the non-football injury list, which means the injury was sustained off the training ground during the offseason.
Instead of Smith working all week and playing on a handful of shots while recovering from the injury, the Packers decided to keep him off the pitch so the injury could heal completely.
Being part of the injured reserve doesn’t mean Smith’s season is over, but he will miss at least three games before he can be nominated for a comeback.
Smith made the Pro Bowl in 2019 and 2020 and was a second All-Pro team in 2020. He’s played in all 33 games since joining the Packers as a free agent in 2019. Monday night’s fixture with the Detroit Lions will be his first. failed game with the Packers.
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