One of the Green Bay Packer’s biggest issues throughout the 2024-2025 season was a lack of a consistent pass rush. Packers’ fans watched the Philedelphia Eagles win a Super Bowl this season in large part because of their ability to rush the passer with just four rushers. ESPN ranked the Packers 26th in Pass Rush Win Rate (PRWR). Simply put, that’s not good enough for a team that has Super Bowl aspirations. If the Packers want to become contenderes, they need to find a way to consistently put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
In-House Options
As of today, the Packers are slated to return eight core players along their defensive line. Additionally, Arron Mosby is an exclusive rights free agent so he will likely be back. TJ Slaton is an unrestricted free agent so whether or not he returns is unknown. Regardless, neither player likely factors into an improved Packers’ pass rush. Newly-hired defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington will have his work cut out for him in getting the most from this group.
| EDGE | IDL | IDL | EDGE |
| Rashan Gary | Kenny Clark | Devonte Wyatt | Lukas Van Ness |
| Brenton Cox | Colby Wooden | Karl Brooks | Kingsley Enagbare |
The biggest and maybe easiest way to improve the pass rush is by having the guys currently on the roster play to their potential. Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark accounted for $61 million dollars in dead money on last years cap yet only produced a combined 8.5 sacks and 37 pressures. Yikes. Lukas Van Ness and Devonte Wyatt, two former first-round picks, have yet to show the ability to be consistent difference makers. These four need to be better.
One way to elicit more production from Rashan Gary is to simply have him play more. In back-to-back seasons, Gary’s snap count was below 60%. Danielle Hunter, Trey Hendrickson, and Micah Parsons (the top three in the league in PRWR) all played more than 70% of snaps. Kenny Clark played under 70% of his snaps for the first time since his rookie season. The Packers are paying these two guys on their defense to be big-time difference makers, but they are not putting them on the field frequently enough to make that impact. If these two players are on the field more, the pass rusher should be better immediately.
Another key factor in an improved pass rush is Lukas Van Ness taking a third-year jump. Up until this point in his career, Van Ness has yet to show why the Packers took him 13th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. Van Ness was always expected to be a “project” coming out of Iowa, but he has taken longer to progress than many had hoped. Devonte Wyatt also needs to take that next step. Wyatt was supposed to be one of the most NFL-ready defensive lineman coming out of the 2022 NFL Draft. To this point, his play has been underwhelming despite showing flashes. Over the last couple of months, Green Bay’s General Manager Brian Gutekunst has shared his lofty expectations that both Van Ness and Wyatt take that leap, and the Packers need it.
Finally, the Packers have some younger options in Cox and Enagbare. Each of these guys has been relatively productive in the opportunities they’ve been given, albeit smaller sample sizes. Cox recorded four sacks in just seven games in 2024. Enagbare has shown pass rush moves that make your jaw drop. These two should have a role on the 2025 Packers team, but expecting them to be the “fix” to the broken pass rush is both unfair and unrealistic. Utilizing them as rotational rushers where they can come in and be fresh will maximize their efficacy.
Acquire a Veteran Pass Rusher
It would be easy to say, “Trade for Myles Garrett or Maxx Crosby,” and the Packers’ pass rush is fixed. Sure, that might fix the problem, although it’s not very realistic. There might be an avenue where acquiring a veteran via trade makes sense for the Packers but the most likely and simplest way would be via free agency. The Packers have not been afraid to make some big splashes in free agency (i.e Xavier McKinney and Josh Jacobs). They also have money to spend. The Packers should strongly consider making another splash (or two) this offseason.
Per PFF, some of the notable edge rusher options include Khalil Mack, Josh Sweat, or Chase Young. Of all of the options available, the one the Packers should pursue is Josh Sweat. Sweat is 27 years old, an athletic freak, and is coming off a the best season of his career. Signing Sweat would immediately boost the Packers pass rush while not compromising anything in the run game. Sweat is coming off a season where he was winning nearly 15% of his pass rush reps. Spotrac predicts Sweat will earn a 3 year, $56,466,831 contract. The Packers should strongly consider anything around that range.
As the Eagles demonstrated, a strong pass rush comes from all over the defensive line, including the interior. Even if the Packers pay a premium edge rusher, they should still consider adding to the interior of their defensive line. Osa Odighizuwa and Milton Williams are widely considered to be the top interior options on the market, but the name that makes the most sense for the Packers Levi Onwuzurike.
With T.J. Slaton potentially on his way out the door, there is spot available. Onwuzurike, the soon to be 27 year-old and former second round pick, has become a solid interior defender when healthy. The former Lion is not necessarily a game changer, but he would be a strong addition to a Packers defensive front. He produced a PRWR of almost 13%. And the best part? He’s not expected to command a large contract. Spotrac is predicting Onwuzurike to earn a 2 year, $9,066,196 deal – a deal the Packers should absolutely pay.
If the Packers were to land both Josh Sweat and Levi Onwuzurike in free agency, their defense would be immediately better. There’s a chance both players command more money than Spotrac is projecting but that shouldn’t steer Green Bay off. Fixing the pass rush wasn’t going to happen for free. The Packers can afford to offer strong deals to either player and another benefit is that the Packers wouldn’t have to give up draft capital to acquire either one.
Draft a Pass Rusher, not Develop One
In recent years, the Packers have been known to draft “projects” in early rounds. Both Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness fit that narrative when they were drafted. It’s time the Packers stop this trend and draft a pass rusher that is ready to contribute right away. In 2024, the Los Angeles Rams drafted Jared Verse and Braden Fiske and both players made immediate impacts. The Packers need to find players who can do the same.
There are a number of pass rushers the Packers could target in the 2025 draft. The Packers typically target big, athletic, and young edge rushers. Seems like a good idea, right? Where it has gone wrong for the Packers is this type of player typically isn’t ready to contribute in year one. The Packers should still target premium athletes, but their approach needs to evolve so they can find players with something to offer right away.
With only seven picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Packers will need to be calculated in how they use their draft capital. They have other team needs to address so they can’t just draft seven pass rushers and see if they hit on one. That said, they should definitely draft one or two players who can join the defensive front and have roles right away.
Pretenders to Contenders
Nothing in the NFL is easy but the vision seems fairly simple.
- 1. Get the core group of returning players to play up to their standard
- 2. Attack the need in free agency by signing players like Josh Sweat and Levi Onwuzurike
- 3. Draft one or two guys who are ready to play tomorrow
The Packers won 11 games in 2024 despite having one of the worst pass rushes in the league. Against good teams, this weakness was exposed and made it feel like the Packers were never a top-tier team. Fix the pass rush and the Packers will immediately be contenders again. If Jeff Hafley’s defense can cause havoc on opposing quarterbacks by only rushing four, the rest of the defense will flourish and take a significant amount of pressure off of the offense. They have the resources, now go and do it.
