Packers Rashan Gary Gets Honest About Preston Smith

The Green Bay Packers pass-rushing group could be one of the stronger units in the NFL. A young star in Rashan Gary is leading the way, while veteran Preston Smith continues to get the job done.

Preston Smith is an important player on the roster. As the team prepares for training camp in a few weeks, he is one of the true leaders and veterans. He is currently the only player in his 30s on the entire roster.

That puts the onus on him, as the young guys will pepper him with questions. That is something that Rashan Gary said that Preston Smith is handling well, speaking very highly of his fellow edge rusher.

“Man, any guy in this locker room will tell you Preston is Preston,” edge rusher Rashan Gary said. “Preston is the heartbeat, man. He’s going on 10 years. I’ve been with him my whole six years. Everybody feeds off him. When Preston talks, everybody be quiet and listen because when 10 years talk, he’s coming from experience and understanding. That’s what P brings, man.”

Entering Year 10 of his NFL career, Preston Smith has more NFL experience than the rest of the Packers pass rushers combined. Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare, Brenton Cox Jr. and Rashan Gary have nine seasons of NFL experience combined.

Sometimes veterans of that stature will do their own thing in the offseason, not attending anything that isn’t mandatory. That wasn’t the case with Smith, who showed up for everything in the spring for Green Bay.

That sets an incredible example and tone for the younger guys to follow. If the oldest guy on the team can be engaged and put in effort during offseason workouts, so can they.

While we could see Preston Smith’s role scaled back a little bit in 2024 as the younger guys receive more opportunities, don’t expect his production to drop off. He has remained a consistent force off the edge getting after quarterbacks.

Last season, Preston Smith finished second on the team with 8.0 sacks, behind only the 9.0 Rashan Gary had. That was his third straight season with at least 8.0 and the fourth time in five seasons with the Packers he reached that threshold.

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