Dropping into coverage was never Preston Smith’s strong suit. Fortunately, he is doing far less under Green Bay Packers’ new defensive coordinator Joe Barry.
Through the first 11 games in 2021, Smith has dropped into coverage only 28 times, according to Pro Football Focus. At this point last season, Smith had already dropped back 78 times. Of course, this was under former defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, who is now a senior assistant for the Chicago Bears.
For whatever reason, Pettine had no problem letting Smith’s pass coverage snaps hit double digits in a single game.