The Green Bay Packers are in a tough spot heading into 2023. They have moved on from a ton of veterans the last few offseason, reloading with young players as they looked to reset their spending habits with Aaron Rodgers now playing for the New York Jets.
However, with Rodgers in New York, it is hard to imagine the Packers being contenders this upcoming season. Even if everything broke in the right direction for the team, battling for a playoff spot seems like their ceiling in 2023.
With that in mind, Green Bay could be seen as a seller in the coming months. Developing the younger players on the roster seems like their No. 1 goal, as they are flush with inexperienced players getting their feet wet in the NFL for the first time.
One player who has plenty of experience is pass rusher, Preston Smith. If a youth movement is truly underway in Green Bay, it would make sense for the Packers to explore his trade market, which is why Smith was named as the one player the team should consider trading before the season by Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report.
The thought process makes sense as Smith will turn 31 years old during the season. He has plenty left to offer a team, coming off of an 8.5-sack campaign in 2022. Several contending teams around the league would pay a nice price to acquire a pass rusher of his caliber.
Alas, his availability is likely tied to that of Rashan Gary. The Packers aren’t going to even consider moving Smith unless Gary is healthy and back to form. Green Bay’s pass rush was anemic last season with Smith as a one-man show after Gary tore his ACL in Week 9; imagine what it would look like without either of them?
The Packers also used their first-round pick on Iowa defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness. If Green Bay wants to get an extended look at how he and Gary look as pass-rushing bookends, moving on from Smith would make some sense.
Ultimately, Green Bay has to decide what its goal is for the 2023 season. If they are okay with developing the younger talent and doing a full reset, trading a player such as Smith makes plenty of sense.