Rookie upfront defenders ‘stand out’ during Packers OTAs

The Green Bay Packers’ three-week OTA period, which included eight practices during that span, came to an end on Thursday. While there were “many” young players who stood out on the practice field, Matt LaFleur specifically mentioned four rookies along the defensive front.

"“There’s been so many guys,” said LaFleur following Tuesday’s practice, “like Wooden, Brooks, Van Ness, Cox, all those guys stand out to me in terms of making splash plays. It’s one thing to do it now, and it’s going to have to happen when we have pads on, obviously. Just the blocking is a little bit different.”"

Colby Wooden has already been taking some snaps with the first-team defense and, during one of the open practices, was able to make his way into the backfield on a few plays. Karl Brooks, meanwhile, had what would have been a sack followed by another pressure in that same practice.

Given the lack of experienced depth at the interior defensive line position, the Packers don’t have the luxury of bringing Wooden and Brooks along slowly as they did with Devonte Wyatt a year ago. Both will be relied upon heavily. Along with being utilized in obvious passing situations, both will likely be called upon as run defenders as well.

For young interior defenders, it is often easier to make an immediate impact rushing the quarterback than slowing the run because of the added nuance and technique that comes with that role. However, with the current state of the interior defensive line room and Kenny Clark unable to play every defensive snap, as run game coordinator Jerry Montgomery said, the Packers have to be prepared to “weather the storm” that comes with relying on young defenders. With the versatility that both Wooden and Brooks have, lining them up at defensive end and tasked with setting a strong edge could be one way to utilize them on running downs.

Lukas Van Ness was playing with the second-team defense during the first two practices that were open to the media. During the second session, he made his way into the backfield on consecutive plays, driving Yosh Nijman back with his power. On another play, he did a terrific job of setting the edge off of play-action, and once he identified that the running back didn’t have the ball, he pursued the quarterback. In the third open practice, Van Ness was lining up with the ones.

Although he is the 13th overall pick, oftentimes, the Packers ease even their early-round rookies in. This leads me to believe that, at least early on, Van Ness will be primarily used on passing downs before adding more to his plate and, as Brian Gutekunst said, fill a Za’Darius Smith-like role with his ability to rush from inside. Van Ness is a power rusher, going in a straight line from point A to point B, but part of his development will have to consist of developing a counter-move because he simply isn’t going to be able to run through every offensive tackle.

Not surprisingly, Cox has been the fifth edge rusher through OTAs, behind Van Ness, Preston Smith, JJ Enagbare, and Justin Hollins. If Gary begins the season on the PUP list and the Packers keep five edge rushers on the 53-man roster, which they often have, Cox has a legitimate chance to make it. If Gary is available, however, Cox will have to showcase this summer that his upside is worth betting on over Hollins’ steady presence–which may be a tall task, given Hollins’ play last season, the leadership role he took on in the edge rusher room, and how he’s been a big part of the rotation through OTAs.

The common trait among all the players that LaFleur listed is that they are all members of the defensive front—a good sign for Green Bay. If this Packers’ defense is going to bounce back in 2023, it all begins up front.

Without Gary for the second half of last season, Green Bay struggled to generate consistent quarterback pressure. For the season, the Packers ended up ranking 23rd in total pressures. Their run defense is also another area that must improve. A stout run defense will put the offense in predictable second and third and long situations, which benefits every player on the defense and allows them to play more aggressively. But on the flip side, as we saw too often in 2022, when an offense is able to stay ahead of the chains, it opens up the entire playbook for them and really stresses the defense, leaving them guessing.

It’s not a coincidence that when the Packers defense was playing its collective best towards the end of last season that their run defense went from allowed 5.0 yards per carry to just 4.4. Opponents faced more predictable passing situations, and along with holding up better against the run, pressures and turnovers were up as well.

As LaFleur said, making those splash plays when the pads come on is going to be the challenge for these rookies. But nonetheless, it’s a promising start, especially for Wooden, Brooks, and Van Ness, who are all going to be relied upon somewhat heavily this season, and also amongst two position groups that if playing well, can have a major impact on the overall performance of the 2023 Packers defense.

"“I think the guys learned how to practice throughout the course of these eight practices and are doing a good job,” added LaFleur. “The tempo has been better and just learning how to compete together and that’s part of the goal coming out of OTAs.”"