Green Bay Packers 2022 Cut ’em or Keep ’em & Prediction: Dean Lowry
By Paul Bretl
As we continue to take a look at the potential salary cap casualties that the Green Bay Packers may have this offseason, up next in my Cut ’em or Keep ’em & Prediction series is Dean Lowry.
Due to some serious salary cap restraints, there is going to be quite a bit of financial maneuvering from Brian Gutekunst and Russ Ball in order to get Green Bay under the salary cap while also still trying to field a competitive team. The result of that likely means some veteran cuts in an effort to create cap space.
In this Cut ’em or Keep ’em & Prediction series, I’ve been taking a look at each of those potential cut candidates and discussing why the Green Bay Packers would keep them, why they might cut them, and I also make a prediction.
If you’ve missed any of the previous articles, you can find them below.
Why the Green Bay Packers could keep Dean Lowry
2022 Cap Hit: $8.07 million
Get Kenny Clark some help has been a motto among Green Bay Packers fans the last few seasons. As we look back at 2021, I would say that Clark did have more consistent help than in the past–and a big reason why was the play of Dean Lowry.
Not typically someone who is going to fill the stat sheet, Lowry had his most productive season as a pass-rusher. He logged 42 pressures, according to PFF ($$) — his previous high was 29 — and he had six sacks, along with five tackles for loss, which tied a career-high.
In addition to the tangible production that we did see, a lot of what Lowry adds to this Green Bay Packers defensive front does go unnoticed. In the middle of that defense, he occupies space, takes on double-teams, and he really creates opportunities for his teammates to make plays with those responsibilities. It’s also worth noting that Lowry hasn’t missed a game over the last three seasons.
The only interior defensive linemen under contract at the moment are Clark, Lowry, TJ Slaton, and Jack Heflin, so even if Lowry is back, this is a position that must be addressed this offseason. However, if he is cut for cap savings, that need just became a whole lot greater.