The Green Bay Packers first training camp practice begins on Wednesday. So after going through what to watch for at each position group on offense, it’s now time to take a closer look at the defense.
With an inexperienced quarterback and a group of young pass catchers, points are likely to be at a premium for the Green Bay Packers as will be the need to generate takeaways, which means a heavier reliance on the defensive unit than in past years when Aaron Rodgers was at the helm.
“I think you’ll see, our defense probably will have to carry us a little bit in the early season,” said Packers President Mark Murphy via Tom Silverstein.
The defense underperformed in 2022, and as always, there are a myriad of reasons why, from poor run defense to an inconsistent pass rush, to coverage breakdowns, and late adjustments by Joe Barry. Improvement in each of those areas led to better play in the final weeks of the regular season, but can this unit do that consistently over the course of an entire season? Until shown otherwise, it’s understandable if you’re skeptical.
If you’re looking for reasons for optimism, Rashan Gary will be returning, and the overall edge depth seems improved. Green Bay still has a pair of playmakers at cornerback, along with Kenny Clark up front, and a potentially dynamic linebacker duo.
Interior Defensive Line
How does this unit hold up against the run?
As Brian Gutekunst said on Tuesday when speaking with reporters, there are “a lot” of pass rush options along the defensive front, but it all starts with stopping the run, and that’s where the Packers’ biggest question marks are. TJ Slaton will now be the go-to early down option for the first time in his career. As Kenny Clark said, Devonte Wyatt needs to continue refining his technique in the run game, and everyone else on the roster doesn’t have any NFL snaps.
Last season, this was a unit that ranked 28th in yards per carry allowed and 31st by DVOA. They will now be relying on a number of inexperienced players to hopefully lift this unit up. When an offense is able to pick five or six yards on first down, it gives them the control, opens the playbook, and has the defense on its heels. When the defense is able to stop the run on early downs, the pass rush can now really pin its ears back and the secondary can play more aggressively.
One stat that tells this story best was how the Packers fared on third downs last season. Believe it or not, they had the eighth best third down defense in football. However, the problem is that they faced the fewest number of third downs per game. In short, when they were able to put opponents behind the sticks, they did well. But if unable to do so, offenses were moving the chains before they even reached third down.
It’s not a coincidence that when the Green Bay defense was playing its best football late last season, they were holding up much better against the run, allowing 4.4 yards per attempt, which would have ranked 15th if done over an entire season. Not only do we need to find out how this group as a whole can stand up against the run, but also what the early down rotations look like. Clark, Wyatt, and Slaton will be the anchors, but with a heavily rotated position, others will have to relied upon.
Edge Rusher
When does Rashan Gary return?
The edge rusher depth for the Packers was in question this time a year ago, and we then saw why once Rashan Gary’s season ended due to injury. As a group, this unit struggled to create consistent pressure and need to be much better against the run, specifically not letting ball carriers get outside. Through nine games, Gary had ranked fourth amongst his position group in total pressures and tied for second in run stops, according to PFF. Gary is beginning training on the PUP list, but Brian Gutekunst did say that they would see where he was at in two to three weeks.
Where does Lukas Van Ness fit into the rotation?
Edge rusher is one of those heavily rotated positions where four or even five players see regular snaps. But where Van Ness will fit into that mix is still an unknown. During OTAs and minicamp, he was regularly playing with the second team defense, behind Preston Smith and Justin Hollins, as well as JJ Enagbare. This shouldn’t be all that surprising at that time of the year given that all those players have experience in Joe Barry’s defense while Van Ness was in his first few NFL practices.
What we do know is that Gary and Smith will be the starters. Hollins also appears to be someone who could see a significant role this season, spending most of his time with the defensive starters this offseason. Van Ness will likely see most of his action on third downs or second and longs, where he can focus solely on getting after the quarterback. His speed and power are clear as day, but what he will have to develop is a secondary pass rush move—he simply can’t run through every blocker.
UDFA Brenton Cox Jr.
Brenton Cox signed after the draft as a high upside undrafted rookie, who was a former five-star high school recruit that produced both as a pass rusher and run defender in the SEC. A big reason that he went undrafted was that he was kicked out of both Georgia and Florida. Following minicamp, Cox was one of a few players that Matt LaFleur mentioned by name when discussing who stood out.
The edge rusher room is talented, which makes it crowded, and keeping Cox could force the Packers to go light at another position. But similarly to offensive tackle Caleb Jones a season ago, I wouldn’t be surprised if Cox takes on more of a developmental role on the roster this season to prevent other teams from signing him off the Green Bay practice squad.
Linebackers
Can Tariq Carpenter carve out a role on defense?
Safety coach Ryan Downard spoke earlier this offseason about how versatile Tariq Carpenter is, able to play safety, linebacker, make tackles, and even be used as a pass rusher. While versatility is certainly a good thing, it’s also important that young players carve out specific roles that they can become really good at an potential contributors in. With Carpenter, now making the move to linebacker after spending his rookie year at safety. It feels like the coaching staff is still trying to figure out what responsibilities fit him best. Special teams will likely keep Carpenter around, he was a key contributor there in 2022, but he needs to find a defensive niche as well, then from there, the team can use his versatility to their advantage.
Cornerback
When does Eric Stokes return?
Similarly to Rashan Gary, Eric Stokes is beginning training camp on the PUP list, but Matt LaFleur is hopeful that his return may not be too far off. Once that happens, it will be interesting to see where Stokes fits into this Packers defense. I go into all possible options here, but I wouldn’t be surprised if at least early on, as he works his way back, we see Rasul Douglas, Jaire Alexander, and Keisean Nixon as the starters and Stokes in a rotational role.
Who rounds out the cornerback depth chart?
If Stokes is available for Week 1 and can be on the 53-man roster, that means there are already four spots accounted for, leaving one or possibly two up for grabs. No final decisions will be made until the pads come on, but I would consider Corey Ballantine and Carrington Valentine the fifth and sixth options at the moment, based on what I saw during offseason programs. By the end, those two were taking bulk of the boundary snaps with the second-team defense. Ballantine had a few interception opportunities when in coverage, and going back to last season, he became a core special teams player over the second half of the year, Valentine, meanwhile, did an “unbelievable job,” according to LaFleur, including back-to-back plays where he broke up passes while defending Romeo Doubs. This would leave Shemar Jean-Charles, Kiondre Thomas, and others on the outside looking in.
Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas v. Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs
This was my big thing to watch for the receiver position this summer, but I thought I would include it here as well. It will hopefully be a great test for everyone involved.
“When I first got here,” said Alexander following minicamp via Packers.com, “that’s the first thing I told Christian and Romeo, just keep doing what you’re doing because we are going to need you at the end of the day. There’s no ego with me because at this point, I want to see what’s best for the team. I told them, just keep doing what y’all doing.”
Safety
Who starts?
Earlier this offseason, Matt LaFleur mentioned that Darnell Savage would be one of the starts, but who is lining up next to him remains to be seen. During offseason programs, Rudy Ford was the regular second option at this position. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, given that he has some experience playing in Barry’s defense, was a willing tackler, and made some plays on the ball, coming away with three interceptions. This competition is still very much up in the air.
“You’d like to see two of the guys separate themselves,” said LaFleur on Tuesday, “so it’s clear cut, and there’s great competition at that position. We feel like we’ve got a lot of capable guys, but ultimately they have to go out there and perform.”
Who makes the final roster?
Right now, there are six safeties, and potentially seven if you count Innis Gaines, who can make a case to be on the final roster. But at most, the Packers probably keep five. I think what we can say is that Darnell Savage and Rudy Ford will be on the team. I also have a hard time seeing them releasing Dallin Leavitt, given his connection with Rich Bisaccia, special teams presence, and the leadership qualities he brings to the locker room. If this is the case, that leaves Jonathan Owens, Tarvarius Moore, Anthony Johnson, and Innis Gaines fighting for two spots. Special teams contributions will be important, but based on playing time during OTAs and minicamp, I would place Moore and Owens ahead of the other two. Although Johnson is a draft pick, he is only in his second season at the safety position. 2023 may end up as more of a developmental year for him than anything else.
