Green Bay Packers: Defensive Front can be a force in 2019

The Green Bay Packers made a number of changes to their defensive front this offseason and as a result, the unit could be a force in 2019.

For much of Aaron Rodgers’ career with the Green Bay Packers, it has been the defense that has held this team back from time to time. But with the addition of defensive coordinator Mike Pettine last offseason, we saw this unit as whole take a nice step forward.

Prior to the 2019 offseason, we could see that this Green Bay Packers’ defense had the potential to be a difference maker, but a few tweaks still remained. One of which was generating a reliable pass rush.

While on paper, the Packers finished tied for eighth overall in total sacks, what they lacked in 2018 was creating consistent pressure with the defensive front.

Of their 44 sacks, 16.5 came from just Kyler Fackrell and an injured Kenny Clark, and the next closest pass rusher was Clay Matthews with only 3.5. So of Green Bay’s total sacks, nearly 38 percent came from two players and of Fackrell’s 10.5 sacks, six were recorded in just two games.

Outside of Fackrell and Clark’ production, much of the Packers’ success at getting to the quarterback was from the creatively designed blitz packages from Pettine.

While those two would go one to have nice seasons, the overall effectiveness from the defensive front was hit or miss and without the changes made this offseason, a regression in 2019 sack numbers was likely had the Green Bay Packers kept the same players from 2018.

They may have finished eighth in total sacks but they were in the bottom half of the league in total pressures. Meaning, when they did get to the quarterback they turned it into a sack at a relatively high rate that was likely not sustainable in 2019.

So as a result, GM Brian Gutekunst revamped the defensive front by letting Matthews walk, while also cutting Nick Perry, to then bring in Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith through free agency. Gute would then follow that up by selecting Rashan Gary with the 11th overall pick in the draft and then adding Kingsley Keke in round five.

What was a position with some question marks entering this offseason is now perhaps the deepest unit on the team.

According to Pro Football Focus, Za’Darius and Preston would total 114 pressures between the two of them in 2018, which would have accounted for over 41 percent of the Green Bay Packers entire team total last season. And Gary gives the front incredible athleticism as well as someone who can play up and down the line and of this year’s entire draft class, he may have the highest ceiling.

Already on the roster, we had Clark who at just 23 years old, is one of the top interior defensive linemen in the NFL, along with a healthy Mike Daniels in 2019 who is in the final year of his contract.

For depth, the Green Bay Packers will have Dean Lowry who was fifth on the team with three sacks last year, run-stopper Tyler Lancaster who now has another offseason under his belt, and Keke who is expected to see playing time as a rotational player his rookie season.

A defensive front that can create consistent pressure is going to have a positive trickle down effect to the rest of the defense, especially in the passing game and it will lead to more turnovers and stops.

This unit has the potential to be a force this upcoming season and can be a real difference maker for a Green Bay Packers team that is going through a number of changes on offense and is looking to get back to the playoffs.