Coach Matt LaFleur said Monday he expects Smith (back) to return to practice Wednesday, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

EDGE Analysis

Smith has been on injured reserve since playing limited snaps in the season opener, and he subsequently underwent back surgery in early October. The 29-year-old hasn't practiced in months, so he'll likely need to work his way back into game shape before having a chance of being activated. The Packers have a bye for the opening round of the playoffs, and it remains to be seen if Smith will be ready to play in the first postseason game.

Smith (back) is not expected to participate in practice for the Packers leading up to their Week 16 contest with the Browns, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

EDGE Analysis

Smith hasn't been able to return to the field since Week 1, when the linebacker suffered a serious back injury that required surgery. Coach Matt LaFleur was hopeful Smith would be able to return in Week 14, but the 29-year-old is still rehabbing from surgery and needs time. While Smith will likely miss Week 16, the Packers will have two more regular-season games for Smith to get reps in before the playoffs start. His next chance to return to the field will likely be in Week 17 against the Vikings.

Coach Matt LaFleur said Monday that the Packers are hopeful Smith (back) can return in Week 14, Mike Spofford of the Packers' official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

Smith has been sidelined since the first week of the season and underwent back surgery at the end of November, but the Packers have remained optimistic that he will be able to return this season. When asked if Smith will be available in Week 14, LaFleur said, "certainly we hope so," and "we'll see where we're at on Wednesday." So, while there continues to be optimism surrounding a potential return against the Bears on Sunday Night Football, there likely won't be any official update to Smith's status until Wednesday at the earliest.

Smith (back) will be out for an extended period after having surgery earlier this week, but the Packers are hoping he'll return at some point this season, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

EDGE Analysis

Based on initial reports, there's at least some chance the surgery turns out to be season-ending. The campaign does last a week longer this year, and Green Bay is among the more likely teams to still be playing late in January. Still, the team will be without its top pass rusher for most of the season, with Smith landing on IR after he tried to play through the injury Week 1 and now requiring a procedure after rest wasn't enough to fix the problem.

The Packers placed Smith (back) on injured reserve Friday, Aaron Wilson of Sportstalk 790 Houston reports.

EDGE Analysis

Smith has been dealing with a back injury since the beginning of training camp, but he was able to suit up for Week 1. The 29-year-old played just 29 percent of the snaps against the Saints and drew a roughing the passer penalty that nullified an interception. He will now be given a chance to focus on rehab as he will be forced to miss at least three weeks while he is on IR. The Packers signed Ladarius Hamilton off Tampa Bay's practice squad, but Rashan Gary and Preston Smith will likely see the majority of pass-rushing snaps while Smith is inactive.

The Packers are expected to keep Smith (back) sidelined for an undetermined amount of time, Wes Hodkiewicz of the team's official site reports. "Z's not going to be out there," coach Matt LaFleur said Friday. "Unfortunately, we're going to have to shut him down for a while."

EDGE Analysis

Smith has been dealing with a back injury since the early days of training camp, which didn't allow him to get on the field during the preseason, along with most of the Packers' healthy top players. He was able to give it a go Week 1 against the Saints, however, playing 29 percent of the defensive snaps (18 of 62) en route to one solo tackle. Smith emerged from the contest as a DNP on Thursday's practice report, and it now appears he'll spend some time on IR until he gets his back back to full health.

Smith (back) was a non-participant at Thursday's practice.

EDGE Analysis

After missing the entire preseason due to a back injury, Smith gave it a go Week 1 against the Saints but managed to play just 18 of 62 defensive snaps (29 percent). That's a far cry from last season, when he regularly logged 80 percent of those plays most games. Speaking of Smith, coach Matt LaFleur told Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com on Thursday, "we're not going to play him as much as we'd like to until we know he's healthy enough to do that." Until Smith is able to make it through practice without issue, the Packers will limit his playing time on a weekly basis.

Smith (back) is active for Sunday's game against the Saints in Jacksonville, Mike Spofford of the Packers' official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

Smith entered training camp on the non-football injury list due to a back issue that kept him on the sideline in the preseason. Coach Matt LaFleur revealed Aug. 22 that there was a chance Smith wouldn't be available Week 1, and those odds remained even after he followed an LP/LP/DNP practice regimen this week. That said, Smith was able to prove he can play through his injury and will be a part of the Packers' pass rush Sunday along with Preston Smith and Rashan Gary.

Smith (back) is expected to play Sunday against New Orleans, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

EDGE Analysis

Final confirmation of Smith's Week 1 status will arrive once the Packers' inactives are submitted prior to the team's 4:25 ET kickoff, but it appears as though Green Bay's standout pass rusher will give it a go Sunday, barring any setbacks.

Smith (back) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against New Orleans, with coach Matt LaFleur saying Friday that the Packers will "give [Smith] the next 48 hours to prove he can play," Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

EDGE Analysis

The absence Friday followed limited practices Wednesday and Thursday, with Smith appearing truly questionable all along. He now needs to be treated as a game-time decision for his matchup with arguably the best offensive tackle duo in the NFL (Saints LT Terron Armstead and RT Ryan Ramczyk). Rashan Gary should get more snaps off the edge if Smith ultimately is ruled out before the 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff Sunday.