D.J. Smith and Robert Francois have played well while the Green Bay Packers starting inside linebackers, Desmond Bishop and A.J. Hawk, have been injured. In fact, they’ve probably played better than anyone thought.
Smith has 18 tackles and an interception in the last two weeks. Francois has 13, an interception and a forced fumble. It could be argued both have played at a higher level than Hawk this season.
While that’s a whole other issue, defensive coordinator Dom Capers says Smith and Fracois could still see action when Hawk and Bishop return.
“Well, you want to have as much depth, and there are different roles,” Capers said. “We certainly have enough defensive packages and so you could see those guys show up in different defensive packages. I know the experience here will pay off and it’ll certainly help us as we move closer to the playoffs.”
It’s unknown exactly when Bishop will be ready to return, but Hawk will be back this week. In fact, he could have played against the Raiders and was suited up, but was held out because the score got out of hand so quickly. At least that’s what the coaching staff claimed.
It will be interesting to see how plays get divided up moving forward.