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- Mar 19, 2019
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GREEN BAY – Za’Darius Smith doesn’t know everything that led into Tim Williams becoming the newest member of the Packers’ locker room. Quite honestly, he doesn’t care.
All that matters is Williams is here now.
On Wednesday, Smith was ecstatic when he discovered Green Bay had claimed his former Baltimore Ravens teammate off waivers, adding another familiar face to an outside linebackers room brimming with upside and talent.
“I can tell you this, man, it’s a fresh start for him,” Smith said. “He’s out here with me now, so he’s going to be good. I’m going to take him up under my wing, something that I’ve been trying to do, but now we’re in a new position and a new place.
“So we’re going to continue to do what we do, man. And he’s going to be OK now.”
Smith (fourth-round pick in 2015) and Williams (third in 2017) didn’t arrive in Baltimore at the same time but had a similar upbringing in the Ravens’ pass-rushing fraternity, as understudies to seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker Terrell Suggs.
A rotational rusher during much of his first three NFL seasons, Smith moved into the Ravens’ starting lineup last season and set career highs in both tackles (45) and sacks (8½).
This year, Williams seemed poised to be the latest to climb the Ravens’ hierarchy after Smith signed with the Packers and Suggs left for Arizona at the start of free agency in March.
Instead, the 6-foot-3, 252-pound linebacker saw only 79 defensive snaps through the Ravens’ first four games before being waived Tuesday. He finished his tenure in Baltimore with 18 tackles and two sacks in 19 games.
The release caught Williams off-guard, but after waiting out the 24-hour waiver period with his family, the third-year linebacker was thrilled to learn he’d landed in Green Bay with Smith, who has three sacks and five quarterback hits in four games.