Green Bay Packers 2022 summer preview: Outside linebackers

Perhaps, there is no position on the Green Bay Packers that better emulates the position their entire roster is in better than the outside linebackers: heavy on talent at the top of the depth chart, but lacking depth and proven players outside of the starters.

There will be some exciting plays from the outside linebackers this season and an opportunity for guys to really make the next leap to greatness. There will also be some major questions that need to be answered and, if not, could leave the Packers in a very vulnerable situation.

Let’s dive a little deeper and preview the outside linebacker situation for the Packers.

Here is a position-by-position preview of the Green Bay Packers this summer continuing with their outside linebacker situation.

Currently on Roster: Kingsley Enagbare, Tipa Galeai, Jonathan Garvin, Rashan Gary, Ladarius Hamilton, Kobe Jones, Chauncey Manac, Randy Ramsey, Preston Smith,

As a whole, this group isn’t very inspiring. Outside of Rashan Gary and Preston Smith, the casual NFL fan wouldn’t recognize any of these names, and Packers fans would be hard-pressed to as well.

Brian Gutekunst signed Whitney Mercilus in the middle of last season because he was worried about depth, but they haven’t don’t anything to address it this offseason. With the departure of Za’Darius Smith and Mercilus not returning, that’s going to be a huge question needing to be answered in training camp and preseason.

Projected Depth Chart: 1. Rashan Gary 2. Preston Smith 3. Jonathan Garvin 4. Randy Ramsey 5. Tipa Galeai 6. Kinglsey Enagbare

Gary and Smith are locked into the top spots on the depth chart and that might be about the only obvious answers for this group. Jonathan Garvin is a safe bet to earn a spot as the third outside linebacker, but even that’s not set in stone.

It’s complete anarchy after Garvin. The Packers might only keep five outside linebackers (instead of the six I propose here) if they keep six defensive linemen. That will have to be some of the roster mechanics we keep an eye on. Randy Ramsey would be a special teams contributor which is why I added him here, but Tipa Galeai showed potential as a rusher and Kinglsey Enagbare is a fifth-round pick this year. We’ll see how it shakes out.

Big Picture:

Gary and Smith need to stay healthy if this unit is going to live up to its potential. Gary took a big leap last season and looks poised to take another one in 2022. Smith had a rebound season and hopes to continue that momentum as the only other proven edge rusher on the Packers’ roster.

Unlike other positions, the starters can’t play every snap due to the physical demands at the position. That will leave plenty of snaps for other players as the coaches rotate the guys through to keep them fresh. Hopefully, Galeai takes another step in his development or someone else emerges as a capable number 3. If not, don’t be surprised if this is a position Gutekunst targets with an addition.