What Can the Packers Do About A Defensive End Group In A State of Flux?

The Green Bay Packers’ sack totals in 2024 were more than a little misleading. The Packers finished tied for eighth in the league with 45 sacks. However, 15 of those came in two games. Twenty of them — nearly half — came in just three.

Those couple of outlier games helped hide the harsh truth that Green Bay’s pass rush left a lot to be desired. How they have attempted to handle that — and how successful that attempt appears to be — will be one of the leading stories coming out of Green Bay’s training camp.

Here's what to watch for.

General manager Brian Gutekunst added a couple of new faces to the defensive end group, Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver, via the draft. Many had hypothesized that the Packers would draft an edge rusher early. Instead, Green Bay selected Sorrell in the fourth round and Oliver in the fifth. Despite being drafted on Day 3, both rookies could earn playing time in Jeff Hafley's system immediately.

Oliver will require a little more patience. The former Oklahoma State Cowboy missed all of minicamp due to injury and will start training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list. A foot injury cut his final season at Oklahoma State short, but he participated in the Senior Bowl before the draft.

Still, Oliver burst onto the scene as a freshman, collecting 11.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss in 2021. His numbers dropped over the next two seasons. However, things were off to a promising start through five quarters before he suffered his foot injury last year.

Even though they play different positions, Oliver has a similar frame to Edgerrin Cooper. When exactly he will return to training camp is uncertain, but he’s a tantalizing prospect.

Exciting as the rookies’ development may be, almost all of the attention will be on Lukas Van Ness. The 2023 first-round pick must justify his draft status this season, or the “bust” talk will get loud.

Van Ness broke his thumb in the 2024 offseason, and it bothered him all season. Still, he's turned the page, and he's ready to show what he's capable of, as he said earlier this offseason:

Green Bay is putting a lot of faith in Van Ness becoming a legitimate starter and a consistent threat at defensive end. If it doesn't pan out, the Packers could pivot to other options, most likely Kingsley Enagbare and Brenton Cox Jr.

Cox was a healthy scratch for the first nine games until Green Bay traded Preston Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers. After that, Cox racked up four sacks and seven quarterback hits in seven games. Enagbare is entering the final year of his rookie deal, with no reports of extension talks. However, that doesn't mean there haven't been discussions.

While Enagbare and Cox would warrant some role consistently, it’s possible that one of them might not make the final roster.

Rashan Gary and Van Ness are locks. The two rookies, Sorrell and Oliver, will be as close to locks as it gets. If Green Bay is comfortable keeping six defensive ends, Enagbare and Cox would almost certainly fill those roles. If the Packers only want to keep five, things will get more dicey.

Nobody is questioning the production that Enagbare and Cox provide. It just comes down to how many spots Green Bay wants to keep at that position. Given that Van Ness is far from a sure thing, the wise move would be to keep six and have plenty of options available.

If all else fails with Van Ness at defensive end, the Packers slid him inside to defensive tackle to offer a different look during organized team activities. Head coach Matt LaFleur had this to say on the matter:

Will the Packers use Van Ness at defensive tackle during training camp in certain situations? It’s not out of the question.

Gary is the veteran of the group, and the second half of last season was better for him than the first. As camp begins, it will be worth watching to see if he looks even more acclimated to Hafley's system. There were a ton of exceptional things to take away from Year 1 of Hafley as the defensive coordinator. The pass rush and the impact at defensive end need the most work in 2025. That all starts with the veteran Gary.

Two rookies and a bunch of familiar faces fill up the defensive end room when training camp begins on Wednesday. When Oliver can strap on pads and a helmet, his progress will be especially interesting to monitor. Still, the heaviest questions concern Gary and especially Van Ness.