The Green Bay Packers were definitely not the same defensively during their five-game losing streak to end the 2025 season after star pass rusher Micah Parsons' season-ending ACL. The struggles were real for defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley's bunch, giving up 31 or more points in three of their last five games and heading into the offseason scratching their heads after the disappointing conclusion to an otherwise lockdown season on that side of the ball.
Despite the late-season woes, third-year defensive end Lukas Van Ness was a bright spot, recording three total tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble in the wild-card loss to the Chicago Bears. According to the Packerfan Total Access, Van Ness finished the season as the 26th-ranked EDGE defender with a 75.7 Pro Football Focus grade (minimum 300 snaps). Even if PFF grades aren't perfect, that ranking is encouraging.
With Van Ness' stock higher than it's been in a while, his late-season turnaround has clearly altered the Packers' 2026 offseason plans.
Lukas Van Ness Will Likely Shape Packers' Offseason
The Packers can choose to pick up Van Ness' $15M option, which seems likely considering he is right in line with the average numbers of EDGEs who had their fifth-year option picked up since 2018 and well clear of those who did not, per The Packers Wire's Mark Oldacres. Based on the progress he made during the 2025 season, he would give Green Bay a starter at the EDGE position and help them get a head start on roster planning for next season.
Van Ness ended the season 22nd out of 124 edge defenders in pressure rate, according to Oldacres, which speaks to how effective he was despite only appearing in 10 games due to a lingering foot injury. Again, while you should not entirely base a player's success on a PFF grade, the proof is clearly there that Van Ness has emerged as someone who should be starting for the Packers next season.
Before the impressive outing against the Bears, Van Ness had 19 total tackles and 1.5 sacks this season, both of which were substantially lower than his first two seasons. However, he played in nearly half as many games, and his snap count per game has only increased since his rookie season, going from around 21.5 in 2023 to 25.1 in 2024 and 29.2 this season. He has not been a full-time starter since Green Bay drafted him, but the uptick in snaps per game and improved play since returning from injury should provide the Packers organization with a lot of optimism.
Van Ness has even been out-snapping veteran Rashan Gary, who did not have a sack or tackle for loss in the final 10 games, likely sealing his fate with the Packers.
As Green Bay determines who moves forward and who does not, it would be a huge surprise if it does not involve putting Van Ness into the starting lineup. Arguably, Van Ness looks like a real starting DE. Whether you agree with that or not, there is a good chance that Gary and even Kingsley Enagbare, who was playing more than Van Ness and made some key plays in the second half of the season, may not be back next season, clearing the way for the third-year DE.
The overall production may be lacking for Van Ness, largely due to his not being on the field for the majority of the snaps. Assuming Green Bay picks up his option and he becomes a full-time starter, though, he has already shown flashes of his potential in limited action.
If he can stay healthy and be a down-to-down defender, don't be surprised if Van Ness becomes a focal point of this defense alongside Parsons, while Gary and potentially Enagbare are both sent packing.