Packers get needed edge rusher depth, claim Justin Hollins
By Paul Bretl
In need of added help at the edge rusher position, the Green Bay Packers have claimed Justin Hollins off waivers from the Los Angeles Rams.
Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay didn’t provide any insights into why Hollins was released.
What to know about the Packers newest edge rusher Justin Hollins
Hollins was waived by the Rams on Tuesday after appearing in 10 games this season, including five starts. In 144 pass rush snaps, Hollins recorded six pressures and a sack. He also had 22 tackles, including five misses, a forced fumble, and 13 stops per PFF ($$).
Hollins is a 2019 fifth-round pick by Denver but has spent the last three seasons with the Rams, including sharing time there with Joe Barry. He’s averaged 337 defensive snaps over the last three seasons, and despite being a terrific athlete, Hollins has very little special teams experience.
The Green Bay Packers have a big need at edge rusher at the moment. Without Rashan Gary, they’ve had only three edge rushers on the 53-man roster and have been elevating La’Darius Hamilton the last two games to round out that rotation.
However, as I wrote recently, Hamilton is now out of elevations, so a move at the position was going to have to be made, whether that be signing him to the roster, activating Tipa Galeai off IR, or in this case, an outside addition.
Unsurprisingly, the Packers have really had struggles generating consistent pressure without Gary in the mix. No longer can Joe Barry rely heavily on his defensive front winning one-on-one matchups, but instead, he will have to begin leaning on more blitzes and stunts.
Hollins’ role isn’t expected to be big, as Preston Smith and Kingsley Enagbare will dominate those edge rusher snaps, not to mention that Quay Walker took 17 snaps at edge against Tennessee, but the Packers want to fill a four-man rotation, so he may see 10 or so snaps once up to speed.
With the addition of Hollins, a cut was going to have to be made since the roster was at max capacity. According to Field Yates, it was Patrick Taylor who was waived. I imagine the Packers will try to sign him back to the practice squad, but this move leaves Green Bay with only two running backs on the 53-man roster once again.