Can the Packers Get Pass-Rushing Help?
If the Packers want to vault from playoff hopefuls to legit Super Bowl threats, their pass rush needs a serious glow-up.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley spent 2024 dialing up blitzes like a mad chef throwing spices at a bland stew because the front four couldn’t cook up pressure on their own. Sure, they feasted in spots, piling up 15 sacks combined against the Titans and Seahawks, but those were outliers. Way more often, Green Bay’s sack totals flatlined—think one or fewer against the Lions (twice), Cardinals, Vikings, Colts, Jaguars, and Bears. Brutal.
Big games? When they needed to rattle the QB? The D-line turned into ghosts—zero push, zero fear factor. Firing the defensive line coach after the season was a start, but it’s not the fix. This unit needs bodies, not just a new playbook.
Gutekunst isn’t likely to burn primo draft picks on a trade for some hyped-up edge rusher—no matter how juicy the rumor mill gets—so free agency’s the move.
The good news is that the market’s got some heat. Khalil Mack, Josh Sweat, Haason Reddick—any of those studs could turbocharge Green Bay’s front.
This feels like the spot for a big swing. Lukas Van Ness and Devonte Wyatt have been stuck in “potential” mode too long—first-round pedigrees don’t produce sacks alone. With $24 million in cap space, it’s time to shove the chips in, snag a proven disruptor, and make a win-now statement. Hafley’s counting on it.