On Friday, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo broke the news that Packers All-Pro pass-rusher Za’Darius Smith had back surgery earlier in the week. Garafolo tweeted, “He’s expected to be out an extended period of time, though the hope is it’s not a season-ending situation.”
Smith has been dealing with his back injury since camp when he began the summer on the Packers’ physically unable to perform list. He practiced once in camp before returning to the rehabilitation process again but suited up for the Packers in Week 1 as a designated pass-rusher. On the following Friday, head coach Matt LaFleur told the media that Smith was going to be shut down “for a while,” with the silver lining being that hopefully after a three-week stint on the injured reserve list that Smith would return healthy.