Green Bay Packers: D-Line Best and Worst Case Scenarios

Returning Starters

Tyler Lancaster and Dean Lowry were underwhelming last season. They both had their moments once in a while like Lancaster poking the ball free against the Chiefs in week eight. However, their spots, especially Lancaster’s, are not secured as starters, and they need be going to practice every day with a hungry mentality, or they could find themselves as reserves by week one or by midseason.

Kenny Clark

Unlike Lancaster and Lowry, Clark is not fighting for his starting job; he’s fighting to make more money at the end of this season. He is in the final year of his contract, and while he’s already secured a big payday that could be similar to the new contract Chris Jones got from the Chiefs this offseason, he probably wants to play well enough to get even more.

Clark has been anchoring the Packers in the middle at the nose tackle position in their base three-man front. He is constantly taking on double teams and does a great job of getting low to at least stalemate them. He also shines as an interior pass rusher where he’s had six sacks in each of the past two seasons and is always creating push on the interior, not allowing quarterbacks to step up in the pocket. He’ll look to take his pass-rushing to the next level and get a few more sacks while continuing to stuff the run and earn himself another Pro Bowl selection.

Best Case Stats: 65 total tackles, 9.0 sacks, 10 TFLs

Worst Case Stats: 40 total tackles, 4.0 sacks, 5 TFLs

Dean Lowry

After a few years of pretty average play on the defensive line, the Green Bay Packers gave Lowry a 3-year, $20,325,000 contract extension prior to last season. That extension begins this season, and he’ll have to step up his play to earn that money.

He provides very little as a pass rusher and didn’t have a single sack last season. Last season he had similar tackle numbers to 2018 in which he only started half the games. His tackles for loss also decreased from five to two, and while those numbers may not tell the whole story, it was clear watching him that he was getting bulldozed by any double team and blocked out of his gap by one guy.

The Green Bay Packers have a lot of confidence in him, and he’ll almost definitely begin the season as a starter, but if he can’t hold his own, there will be conversations to be had about his playing time. Also, the Packers could save $4,800,000 in 2021 by releasing him next offseason, so that has to be in the back of their minds as an option as well, and playing himself out of a job would definitely be his worst case.

Best Case Stats: 55 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, 6 TFLs

Worst Case Stats: 30 total tackles, 0 sacks, 1 TFL

Tyler Lancaster

While Lowry is in danger of underplaying his contract, he was someone consistent in being an okay two down lineman. Lancaster, however, was just flat out bad. His best moment of the season was poking that ball loose for a fumble against the Chiefs, and when he did that, he was falling backwards because he was beaten off the ball so bad.

I don’t have a lot of confidence in Lancaster, and if he’s still starting at the end of the year, I’d be very surprised, and that would not be a good thing. Maybe he’ll prove me wrong, but I think he will get beaten out for the spot.

Best Case Stats: 35 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, 3 TFLs

Worst Case Stats: 15 total tackles, 0 sacks, 1 TFL