With the Green Bay Packers coming down the final stretch, it feels like everything is coming together at once. Never mind the 9-3-1 record that has Green Bay close to earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC for the first time since 2021. It’s about the young players on the roster hitting their stride and turning into contributors down the stretch.
Barryn Sorrell is one of those players, as the fourth-round rookie out of Texas continues to make progress as an edge defender. But while he’s started a conversation about earning more playing time, it may become moot as Packers team editor Mike Spofford spotted Lukas Van Ness at Wednesday’s practice.
With Van Ness returning and a timeshare across from Micah Parsons, Sorrel could suddenly find himself as the odd man out and putting his promising play on hold as Green Bay prepares for a Week 15 matchup against the Denver Broncos.
Barryn Sorrell Could Lose Out on Numbers Game with Lukas Van Ness’s Return
Sorrell has earned the opportunity for some extra playing time after his Week 14 performance against the Chicago Bears. In that game, Sorrell earned the fourth-highest Pro Football Focus grade among Packers defenders at 67.8 and earned a quarterback pressure on 11 total snaps. While it wasn’t enough to get thrust into a starting role against the Broncos, it was enough to see an uptick from the eight snaps per game he’s been averaging in his last five contests after playing a season-high 30 snaps in a Week 7 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
But instead of seeing what the rookie has, Sorrell may become the loser of a numbers game. As the most important player on defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s unit, Parsons isn’t about to have his playing time reduced for a rookie. The opposite spot has also turned into a timeshare, as Justis Mosqueda of Acme Packing Company noted that Rashan Gary and Kingsley Enagbare have split time at the position over the past several weeks, including a 39-37 split in favor of Gary against the Bears.
Add in a returning Van Ness to the mix, and Sorrell may have to get creative to find playing time. Unfortunately, that’s where he runs into another problem.
While the Packers could carry five defensive ends on gameday, they still need depth at other positions. This may also mean they could favor special teams ability, but Sorrell has yet to contribute in that role with just 55 special teams snaps on the season. Although Sorrell has earned a 70.7 PFF grade on those snaps, they’ve all come on the kick and punt return teams with no snaps on the coverage unit.
This is the squeeze many young players feel as they’re trying to earn playing time in the NFL. While Sorrell’s play on Sunday warrants an extended look, he could either be relegated to special teams or made inactive against the Broncos as more veterans return. Unfortunately, that’s the reality of the situation, and Sorrell may have to continue his improvement behind the scenes to get more playing time in the future.