Packers OTAs Preview: Big Question at Defensive End

GREEN BAY, Wis.

The Green Bay Packers top three returning defensive ends are Rashan Gary, Kingsley Enagbare and Lukas Van Ness.

Combined, they had 15 sacks last season.

Cincinnati Bengals star Trey Hendrickson had 17.5 by himself.

For the Packers to contend for a Super Bowl championship, that output must be cranked up.

The techniques and drills that will be implemented by new defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington when organized team activities begin on Tuesday will be the key.

Heres a closer week.

Veterans: Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare, Brenton Cox, Arron Mosby.

Rookies/first-year: Barryn Sorrell (fourth round), Collin Oliver (fifth round), Deslin Alexandre (returning practice squad), Jeremiah Martin (returning practice squad).

To pin the lack of a consistent pass rush on the lack of development by Lukas Van Ness would be shortsighted.

Even with a few massive contract extensions this offseason, Rashan Gary ranks ninth in annual pay among edge defenders.

He had just 7.5 sacks last season less than he had in 2023, when he was coming off a torn ACL and still doesnt have a 10-sack season.

But at least Gary was somewhat of a consistent force.

Last season, 80 edge defenders played at least 240 pass-rushing snaps.

In Pro Football Focus pass-rush productivity, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing opportunity, Gary was 36th, Kingsley Enagbare was 59th and Van Ness was 64th.

In pass-rush win rate, Gary was 34th, Enagbare was 70th and Van Ness was 54th.

In the big Aaron Rodgers trade, moving up two spots in the first round of the 2023 draft was a big deal for Packers GM Brian Gutekunst.

As the 13th pick, Van Ness has seven career sacks.

With the 15th pick, the Jets selected Milwaukee native Will McDonald, who had a breakout second season with 10.5 sacks.

We have high expectations for Lukas.

We always have, Gutekunst said before a draft in which he bypassed the top pass rushers but selected Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver in the fourth and fifth rounds.

Obviously, we took him very early and Im excited for him.

Hes still a really young player and he didnt play a ton in college.

But were very excited about where he is on his developmental path and expect big things from him this year.

Certainly, if were going to get to where we want to go to, hes going to be a big part of that.

Coming off a promising finish to his rookie year in which his playoff sack at Dallas capped a stretch of four sacks in seven games, Van Ness suffered a broken thumb last offseason, which impacted him into the season.

There also was a change in defensive schemes.

After having to adapt to being a 3-4 outside linebacker as a rookie, Van Ness was a hand-in-the-dirt defensive end in the new 4-3 scheme.

Regardless of the circumstances, Van Ness wasnt good enough, though at least there was glimmer of hope with a sack against San Francisco in Week 12, a sack against Miami in Week 13 and a season-high four pressures against New Orleans in Week 16.

However, during the final three games, including the playoff loss at Philadelphia, he had just one pressure.

A critical season awaits.

Van Ness was the fifth defensive player selected in 2023 but is 17th in sacks.

Even Cardinals defensive tackle Dante Stills, who was taken exactly 200 picks after Van Ness, has more sacks.

This is obviously the most important [season] as its the next one ahead, Van Ness said at the start of the Tailgate Tour last month.

This is my job.

I love what I do.

I love playing football.

My goal every single day is to come to work and put that effort in, and then, ultimately, put the best product on the field on Sundays.

The Packers big splash on the defensive line wasnt a free agent or a draft pick but a position coach, with coach Matt LaFleur firing Jason Rebrovich and replacing him with DeMarcus Covington, who coached outside linebackers and defensive line for the Patriots before becoming defensive coordinator last season.

Having all this talent is new for Covington , as he takes over a group that includes four first-round picks Gary, Van Ness and defensive tackles Kenny Clark and Devonte Wyatt.

Now, hes got to turn potential into production.

With several top quarterbacks on the schedule and some questions in the secondary, the pass rush might be the key to the season.

I think effective pass rush starts with get-off, Covington said.

We talk about three things -- the start, the fight zone and the finish (and) being effective in all those three phases.

The start, which is the get-off, fight zone is when youre in your combative zone.

Alright, youre winning that, and then the finish is, that might be sacking the quarterback, that might be getting him off the spot, that might be pressuring him and making him step up or step out of the pocket, whatever the defense allows.

So, thats how you do it, I would say, as individual technique.

But its also defense.

With a defense there comes rush and coverage, so it has to be a good marriage between rush and coverage.

You dont have good coverage and its probably going to be the ball will go out.

You dont have good rush, then the coverage [will break down].

So, I think it has to work together as you go through it.

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