GREEN BAY Nick Bosa Jersey , Wis. (AP) — From 2010 through 2016, former Packers general manager Ted Thompson signed two unrestricted free agents.On Thursday, the Packers announced the signing of four such players.Second-year GM Brian Gutekunst wasn’t shopping from the bargain bin, either, in trying to improve a team coming off its first back-to-back losing seasons in a quarter-century. Rather, Gutekunst dived headfirst into the initial wave of free agency by signing outside linebackers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith, safety Adrian Amos, and offensive lineman Billy Turner. They each signed four-year contracts worth a combined $182 million, $57 million of which is guaranteed.Gutekunst, however, disagreed with the notion his aggressive foray into free agency was aimed at putting the Packers back among the NFL’s elite teams while quarterback Aaron Rodgers remains in his prime.“I don’t think so,” Gutekunst said. “I think, obviously, this is Green Bay, Wisconsin. We’re in a win-now mode all the time. I thought we needed to add to our defense significantly and I think these guys will. So L.J. Collier Jersey , I don’t think it’s any different than it ever has been.”Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith replace the longtime starting tandem of Clay Matthews and Nick Perry, who are free agents. Matthews had 3 1-2 sacks last season while Perry had 1 1-2 sacks and was released earlier this week before being paid a $4.8 million roster bonus.Za’Darius Smith had a career-high 8 1-2 sacks last season for the Baltimore Ravens while Preston Smith had four sacks last season for the Washington Redskins. The new teammates met when Za’Darius Smith, a junior college player at the time, was on a recruiting trip to Mississippi State, where Preston Smith was an established star.“We really got cool when we actually went to the combine,” said Za’Darius Smith, who wound up playing at Kentucky. “He’s a Smith and I’m a Smith, so we were right behind each other (during drills). Got a chance to communicate, but one thing he did tell me, he was like, ‘Z, we’re going to do great things in this league.’ I kid you not. Now, we’re playing together.”Za’Darius Smith, who tied for 10th in the league with 25 quarterback hits, frequently moved from the edge to the inside on passing downs for the Ravens. He figures to be used in the same way by Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine.“We are both versatile players Marquise Blair Jersey ,” said Preston Smith, who has 24 1-2 sacks in four seasons. “I see him play and he can rush inside and outside. I can do the same if needed. We both play fast and physical and violently. And I like his play style and I feel we will complement each other, and we’re going to do some great things here in Green Bay.”Amos comes from the archrival Chicago Bears. Last season, he had career highs of two interceptions, nine passes defensed, three forced fumbles and 73 tackles. He’s gone from not being in the starting lineup to open the 2017 season to one of the NFL’s highest-paid safeties.“In NFL terms, that’s how you show who wants you,” Amos said. “People can say they want you and people can say they have enough or don’t have enough, but that’s the way they show you they want you, by getting you.”Turner started 11 games last season at Denver due to injuries. The Packers have a void at right guard, but neither Gutekunst nor Turner would say that will be his position. Gutekunst hopes Turner’s athleticism will be a good fit for new coach Matt LaFleur’s outside-zone running game.“I’m an offensive lineman, but I don’t think that I move like an offensive lineman,” Turner said. “I use my athleticism to my advantage, and it works well for me. Being able to move in space well and to run off the football and move guys around in the run game, I think D.K. Metcalf Jersey , was part of the reason why Green Bay liked me, and it was part of the reason that I picked here.”None of the free-agent signings has earned postseason accolades. Gutekunst believes the arrow is pointing up. Turner is 27, the Smiths are 26 and Amos is 25. All four were drafted in 2015.“I do think that’s an important point, that we did want guys that we thought that their best football was ahead of them,” Gutekunst said. “I think all four of these guys probably had their best seasons last year and they were trending in the right direction.” CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — While the Carolina Panthers opened the regular season with a 16-8 win against the Dallas Cowboys, it did not come without a cost.Three-time Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen spent the second half watching the game from the sideline on crutches with his right foot in a boot — the same foot he fractured in 2017 causing him to miss nine games. Later in the game, second-team All-Pro right tackle Daryl Williams was carted off with a knee injury and did not return.Panthers coach Ron Rivera and general manager Marty Hurney offered no immediate updates Monday on the extent of the injuries.“I’ve told you this, and I’ll tell you again: I have not talked to RV (head athletic trainer Ryan Vermillion),” Rivera said Monday. “I usually wait until after this (news conference). It’s a question I’m not going to answer. I don’t know (the extent of the injury), to be honest with you.”The Panthers are expected to turn to rookie Ian Thomas to start Sunday at tight end against Atlanta, while Amini Silatolu will likely fill in at right tackle.The Panthers are high on Thomas, who they think has the combination of receiving and blocking skills to be a good fit in their offense, even though he only played two seasons of major college football at Indiana.“I think he’s pretty well prepared,” Rivera said. “There are some things Cody Barton Jersey , obviously, that he still has to learn and he has a long way to go in terms of having the natural feel that Greg has and having that rapport Greg has.“He’s been good with his blocking, he’s been good with his route running, he’s been good with his receiving. But he’s got to get better as a route runner, a blocker and a receiver. He’s a young guy. There’s a lot to his game he’s got to learn.”When the Panthers drafted Thomas with the first pick in the fourth round this year they did so with the idea of bringing him along slowly and learning behind Olsen.He was a project, more or less.But now everything has been fast-tracked.“It’s like going right into the fire and playing right away,” Thomas said. “Learning from my mistakes every play. I played two years of college football but I guess now is my time to get all of the kinks out.”Thomas said he spoke to several teams before the NFL draft and walked away feeling that some of them felt like he wasn’t a good blocker. He disagrees and is out to change that image.“I felt like I have gotten much better over the last few months,” Thomas said.As for Williams, he dislocated his kneecap and tore the medial collateral ligament in training camp but managed to return for the season opener, which was no small feat. But he injured the same knee against the Cowboys when he got hit there by another player’s helmet.Silatolu, who had pretty much won the starting left guard spot before his own knee injury in preseason, will test his ware at the tackle spot if called upon to start.