Green Bay Packers place OLB Za’Darius Smith on IR with lingering back injury

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Za’Darius Smith managed to get himself ready for the Green Bay Packers‘ season opener after battling a back injury throughout training camp, but the Packers are shutting him down after he played only 18 snaps in the loss to the New Orleans Saints.

They placed Smith on injured reserve on Friday, which means he will miss a minimum of three games before he’s eligible to…