How does the Preston Smith trade look a month later?

A month has passed since Preston Smith last took a snap for the Packers. How has their pass rush responded in the time since then?

One month ago today, Preston Smith played his final game for the Green Bay Packers. Though few knew it at the time, Smith had requested a trade from the team, a decision he made ostensibly to find a better schematic fit. Smith had a tremendous tenure in Green Bay, but the transition from a 3-4 outside linebacker to a 4-3 defensive end didn't work out as planned.

The Packers had their reasons to move on from Smith as well. Despite his stature in the locker room and exemplary game attendance (he missed only one game in 10 NFL seasons), his productivity had dipped noticeably in 2024. According to Pro Football Focus, he recorded just 10 pressures over the team's first nine games. For context, Smith had 11 pressures over just his first five games the previous year. Whether due to the position change, aging, or a combination of the two, the decline in his play had become undeniable.

That left general manager Brian Gutekunst to quietly shop Smith as the trade deadline approached. Eventually, Gutekunst found a trade partner willing to take on the veteran pass rusher's entire remaining contract: the Pittsburgh Steelers. In exchange for a seventh-round pick, the Packers sent Smith to the Steel City.

But while Smith's departure might have made sense in a vacuum, it did raise questions about the Packers' remaining pass rushers. At the time of the trade, none of Green Bay's primary defensive linemen had generated pressure at or near their career rates. Making matters worse, the backups couldn't fill the void. Even Lukas Van Ness, the No. 13 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, had done little to help the cause, sporting a dreadful 6.8% win rate by PFF's accounting.

All of which begged the question: If the pass rush couldn't consistently get the job done with Smith in the fold, how would it perform without him?

A month later, the Packers appear to have their answer.