JJ Enagbare making noise for Packers stepping into larger role
By Paul Bretl
During Day 3 of the 2022 NFL Draft, it was a bit of a surprise that edge rusher JJ Enagbare lasted as long as he did, and at the time, the selection felt like a steal for the Green Bay Packers. That now seems even more true after watching Engabare over the last month.
While the receiver position garnered many of the offseason headlines here in Green Bay, the lack of experienced depth at edge rusher was quite concerning as well–especially with how heavily rotated the position is. Although this still isn’t a problem that I would call fixed, Enagbare’s emergence has provided some stability.
From Week 1 on, Enagbare was a member of the Packers’ four-man edge rusher rotation, but he really saw his playing time increase in Week 7 against Washington, playing 31 snaps, and he has since been a starter alongside of Preston Smith since Rashan Gary suffered a season-ending injury.
Over the last four games, he has recorded 11 pressures and no sacks, although he does have two in total this season. During that span, Enagbare also ranks 24th out of 111 edge rushers in pass-rush win rate, according to PFF ($$). Not bad for the 179th overall pick.
Enagbare has regularly been one of the highest graded defenders on this Packers defense by PFF over this stretch of games and he led the team in pressures against both Tennessee and Philadelphia. In terms of pressures generated, pass rush productivity, and win rate, Enagbare ranks near the top of the edge rusher rookie class in all three categories, including those who were selected within the first two rounds.
Needless to say, he has exceeded expectations already, given where he was selected in the draft as a late fifth round pick.
"”Feeling pretty good,” said Enagbare recently via Packers.com when asked about his progress. “The last couple of weeks I’m coming into my own. I have been making the plays that are coming to me that I’m supposed to be making. It’s just about the preparation that I’ve been putting in day in and day out, just continuing to stack my good and delete the bad.”"
While Enagbare’s emergence has certainly been welcomed and encouraging, overall, the Green Bay Packers still need more consistency from their pass rush as a whole. Not surprisingly, this unit is very much missing Rashan Gary’s presence.
In the Joe Barry defense, the defensive front is expected to win its one-on-one matchups in order to generate pressures. Enagbare often does this with speed, an impressive ability to get off blocks, and relentlessness. But for overall consistency, Barry should work in more blitzes as well as movement up front to help manufacture needed pressures. When the quarterback is under duress, the entire defensive unit benefits.
As is the case with many rookie edge rushers, overall consistency and improved run defense, along with adding play strength, and continuing to refine his pass rush moves are all areas of improvement for Enagbare. But with that said, the Packers have to be thrilled with the early returns and progression that they’ve seen from the fifth round pick.