Reevaluating Packers Positions of Need After Early Free Agency
By Paul Bretl
Green Bay Packers Position of Need: Edge Rusher
This is another position that will carry over from my pre-free agency needs list that I had put together. The Green Bay Packers are certainly sitting well at edge rusher at the top of the depth chart with Rashan Gary and Preston Smith, both of whom would finish in the top-10 among all edge rushers in pressure created last season. But after those two is where the concern lies.
The name of the game in football is pressuring the quarterback, making edge rushers one of the most important positions there is. On top of that, it’s also heavily rotated; for example, Gary and Smith would both play 68% of the Packers’ defensive snaps last season when healthy, which means depth is incredibly important.
On the roster options competing for the third and fourth edge rusher role will be Randy Ramsey, Tipa Galeai, Jonathan Garvin, and La’Darius Hamilton. However, as alluded to already, when Gary and Smith weren’t on the field there was a lack of impact plays last season, so looking for upgrades should absolutely be on Brian Gutekunst’s to-do list.
A veteran pass-rush option in free agency could be someone like Whitney Mercilus, who was very effective during his small sample size with the Packers in 2021. Or Green Bay could look to the draft, which is quite deep at the position, and they’d have the luxury of bringing a rookie along slowly, similar to what they did with Gary in 2019.