GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers have signed S Adrian Amos, LB Preston Smith, LB Za’Darius Smith and T/G Billy Turner. General Manager Brian Gutekunst announced the transactions Thursday.
According to a news release from the Packers, Amos (A-miss), 6-0, 214, was originally selected in the fifth round (No. 142 overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft out of Penn State by the Chicago Bears. In four seasons, he appeared in 60 games with 56 starts, recording 305 tackles (244 solo), three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, three interceptions (one he returned for a touchdown), 13 tackles for a loss and seven special teams tackles. Amos has started at least 10 games each season, including 14 or more three times. He played in one postseason contest, where he registered six tackles (five solo), an interception and two passes defensed. Amos was named to the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie team in 2015 after becoming the first Bears rookie to lead the team in defensive tackles (based on coaches review) since LB Brian Urlacher in 2000.
Smith (6-5, 265) comes to Green Bay after four seasons with the Washington Redskins, who originally selected him in the second round (No. 38 overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft out of Mississippi State. He has never missed a game in the NFL, appearing in 64 regular-season contests with 50 starts. Smith has recorded 163 tackles (103 solo), 24.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, four interceptions, 13 passes defensed and three fumble recoveries, including one returned for a TD. According to Sportradar, he ranks No. 5 among linebackers with 59 QB hits from 2015-18. Smith has played in one postseason contest, the 2015 Wild Card game vs. Green Bay in which he tallied three tackles (two solo) and a sack that resulted in a safety.
(zuh-DARE-ee-us) Smith (6-4, 272) was originally selected in the fourth round (No. 122 overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft out of the University of Kentucky by the Baltimore Ravens. He has played in 58 regular-season games with 16 starts as well as started a postseason contest. In his first four seasons, Smith totaled 119 tackles (71 solo), 18.5 sacks, five passes defensed and three forced fumbles. In 2018, he set career highs in tackles (45), solo tackles (26) and sacks (team-high 8.5). According to Sportradar, Smith ranked No. 2 among NFL linebackers in 2018 in QB hits (25) and tied for No. 6 in total pressures (sacks + hurries + knockdowns) with 35.
Turner (6-5, 310) has spent time with the Miami Dolphins (2014-16), Baltimore Ravens (2016) and Denver Broncos (2016-18) over five seasons. He has played in 40 games with 25 starts in his career after originally being selected by the Dolphins in the third round (No. 67 overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft out of North Dakota State. Turner has started at right guard (19 games), right tackle (four games), left tackle (one game) and left guard (one game). In 2018, he played in a career-best 16 games, starting seven at right guard and four at right tackle. The Shoreview, Minn., native started 56 of 57 games at NDSU and was a member of three FCS National Championship teams. His father, Maurice Turner, played running back in the NFL for Minnesota (1984-85), Green Bay (1985) and the New York Jets (1987).
