Which Packers Edge Defender Will Start Next To Van Ness?

The Green Bay Packers will have to scramble a bit to shape their starting edge group early in the season, with Micah Parsons likely not back until late September. Lukas Van Ness, whose fifth-year option the Packers picked up on Thursday, should open as the top option, but the spot opposite him is up in the air.

So, let’s get into the options Green Bay currently has available.

Barryn Sorrell

Sorrell didn’t get his first start until Week 18, when Green Bay rested its starters. He finished 2025 with 178 defensive snaps played, six pressures, 1.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery. Behind Micah Parsons and Lukas Van Ness, he’s the name I’d bet on to be next up on Green Bay’s depth chart.

Collin Oliver

Like Sorrell, Oliver didn’t get his first start until Week 18, and that was also his first time seeing the field. Still, he’s already picked up the “Baby Micah” nickname around the locker room, which at the very least shows the kind of impression he’s made early on. Any rookie drawing comparisons to Micah Parsons, even loosely, is doing something right.

Brenton Cox Jr.

I really liked what I saw from Cox in 2024. He generated 17 total pressures, finished with four sacks, and added a forced fumble along the way. It felt like he was building toward a larger role in 2025, but that never quite materialized. He played just 79 snaps compared to 160 the year before, recording five pressures, one sack, and another forced fumble.

Dani Dennis-Sutton

Dennis-Sutton was an athletic, productive edge rusher at Penn State, but there are still areas of his game that need refinement, especially his processing and finishing. The long-term upside is easy to like, but right now, it’s all about smoothing his transition to the pros.

Arron Mosby

Mosby spent most of 2025 on special teams, though he logged 150 defensive snaps in 2024. He’s already shown he can step in when depth gets thin, but his primary role has been as a core special teamer.

Nyjalik Kelly

Kelly joined Green Bay as an undrafted free agent last week. He put up 15 sacks, 68 tackles, and five forced fumbles between Miami and UCF. He’s drawn some comparisons to former Packer Kingsley Enagbare, who turned into a reliable contributor on both defense and special teams. If Kelly can carve out a similar path, that’s a really nice find for Brian Gutekunst.

Dante Barnett

Barnett joined Green Bay through the NFL International Player Pathway Program. He went undrafted in 2025 and initially signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, but they released him in July. The Packers picked him up in October, and he later signed a reserve/futures deal with the team in January 2026.

The Verdict

None of these guys is likely to start consistently.

We know how the Packers tend to handle young players, and it usually comes with limited responsibility early on. Because of that, don’t expect Dennis-Sutton or Njalik Kelly to see much action immediately. Oliver and Sorrell are heading into their second year, but there’s still little proof either can handle a heavy workload from the jump.

That doesn’t mean they can’t, but, given Green Bay’s track record, it would be surprising to see either playing 50 snaps a game early in the season. At the same time, it’s hard to see Green Bay prioritizing snaps for Brenton Cox Jr. over them.

Instead, we’re probably going to see all of these guys rotating until Micah Parsons comes back. I think Sorrell ends up as the second-stringer on the depth chart at the outset. Still, once Parsons returns, he slides into the top spot, with Lukas Van Ness as the No. 2. At that point, there’s a chance one of the younger players pushes for snaps and potentially takes over that secondary role behind him.