Packers Morning Buzz: Tremon Smith could make special-teams impact

Welcome to your Morning Buzz, rounding up news and views regarding the Green Bay Packers from around the web and here at PackersNews.com.

We'll start with Zach Kruse of the Packers Wire writing that newly acquired cornerback Tremon Smith, who was claimed on waivers this week from Kansas City, could be a valuable special teams contributor both as a kick returner and gunner.

Kruse writes:

Smith, a 2018 draft pick, was an electric kick returner and an effective gunner for the Kansas City Chiefs, with the speed to be useful for the Packers in both roles.

As a rookie last season, Smith ranked fourth in the NFL among qualified kick returns with a 26.8-yard average over 33 returns. He set up a touchdown against the New England Patriots with a 97-yard return, a career-high.

You can see video of that 97-yard return and read more about Smith here:

Davante Adams and Aaron Jones are the only big-play weapons at Aaron Rodgers' disposal, and Tom Silverstein says that needs to change:

The winless Broncos are hungry for victory after losing to the Bears on a last-second field goal:

Packers veterans are advising young players to stash money in case there's a work stoppage after the 2020 season:

Former Packers safety LeRoy Butler and Tom Silverstein explain what went wrong on the Vikings' 45-yard TD catch:

Got a Packers question? Pete Dougherty will be answering them in his live chat at noon Wednesday:

More bad news for Bears fans regarding Mitch Trubisky:

And talk about damning with faint praise ... ouch:

Running back C.J. Anderson didn't last long in Detroit:

And the timing of Anderson's release couldn't have been worse:

The Eagles, who will visit Lambeau Field for a Thursday night game Sept. 26, have been hit hard by injuries and now could be without DeSean Jackson against the Packers:

ESPN's Rob Demovsky writes about the impact being made on the Packers' defense by Za'Darius and Preston Smith:

Demovsky also rates punter JK Scott as the Packers' most pleasant surprise as part of ESPN's weekly power rankings (which this week has the Packers moving up four spots into the No. 6 position). 

Demovsky writes:

Pleasant surprise: P JK Scott. Yes, punters are people, too, and no punter has been busier than the Packers' second-year pro. He leads the NFL with 17 punts through two games and has booted what Aaron Rodgers has called "game-winning punts" in each game. It's the reason Packers GM Brian Gutekunst used a fifth-round pick in 2018 on him, and it's paying off. After an inconsistent rookie season, the strong-legged Scott appears to have found his groove and is a legitimate weapon when it comes to flipping field position. He booted a 63-yarder at the end of the Chicago game in Week 1 and had punts of 47, 59, 48 and 52 yards in the fourth quarter against the Vikings on Sunday.

You can read the whole rankings story here::

Former Packers GM Ron Wolf with high praise for Patriots coach Bill Belichick:

The Packers and 49ers are both off to 2-0 starts and will face each other Nov. 24 at San Francisco:

Jones seems to be enjoying his role as host this season of our weekly "Clubhouse Live" show:

And finally:

Contact Stu Courtney at (920) 431-8377 or scourtney@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @stucourt