Packers add a familiar hand at tight end with signing of Jonnu Smith

The Green Bay Packers added depth and experience to their tight end room by signing 10th-year veteran Jonnu Smith, the team announced on Saturday. The move comes as teams sort out playing-time roles in the closing stretch of the preseason, and it underscores how important the tight end position remains for a modern offense that wants both reliable pass catching and versatile run-game involvement.

Smith’s NFL résumé includes time as a primary option in tight end groupings, and the Packers are pointing to an element that can translate quickly into a pro offense: familiarity with the coaching style of Matt LaFleur. According to the team, Smith played for LaFleur in Tennessee in 2018, a connection that can help speed the learning curve on route concepts and timing in an offense that often asks tight ends to do more than one job.

For Green Bay, the signing reads as an effort to add a veteran presence behind the unit’s established targets. Young tight ends can grow into their roles with reps, but game-day reliability often depends on having an experienced player who understands how defenses are rotated, where matchups are likely to appear, and how to adjust when coverage shells shift at the line of scrimmage.

The tight end market also reflects the position’s unique demands. A single roster spot can be asked to contribute in multiple ways, whether that is settling into short-to-intermediate routes, helping as a blocker in base and movement situations, or serving as a safety valve on designed plays. By bringing in Smith, the Packers are indicating they want someone who has already lived through those situational demands across many seasons.

What can make this signing particularly practical is the prior relationship between Smith and LaFleur. While teams install systems differently from year to year, shared history with a head coach can matter for communication. That can show up in practice pace, meeting the staff’s expectations, and anticipating how LaFleur wants tight ends to operate within the passing game’s structure.

The immediate competitive picture in camp will be shaped by who earns snaps in the tight end group, especially in third-down situations where quarterbacks rely on dependable route running and hands. For Smith, the path to impact likely begins with earning trust in timing-based concepts, then proving he can carry the workload when the Packers need consistent production rather than a matchup gamble.

For Packers fans, the most important takeaway is simple: Green Bay is investing in experience at a position that can decide games when the offense is under pressure. Over the next few weeks, the team’s deployment of Smith in practice and preseason-style looks should offer the clearest preview of how his role fits into the Packers’ tight end plans for the regular season.

As with any late-summer roster adjustment, the signing should be evaluated by what happens on the field, not just the résumé. How quickly Smith meshes with the group, and whether the offense creates clean looks for him in the passing game, will determine how meaningful the move becomes once opponents prepare with full game plans.