The Green Bay Packers had edge rusher Lukas Van Ness back in action for the first time in five weeks due to a foot injury when they faced the Minnesota Vikings in Week 12. He was a limited participant in practice all week leading up to the game against the Vikings and eventually suited up, but he wasn't able to last.
Van Ness was limited to just six snaps in the win, and head coach Matt LaFleur spoke about it on Tuesday.
"I think we all were thinking he'd be further along than where he is, and unfortunately, he's where he's at. It's a day-to-day thing," LaFleur said, (h/t @WesHod), mentioning how Van Ness gave it a go against Minnesota, but things just didn't feel right. Yet despite this injury taking away a large chunk of this season, Van Ness isn't a player who will be on the block to get dumped this offseason.
Lukas Van Ness’ Injury Won’t Affect His Packers Future
Van Ness was selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft and is on the books for the 2026 season, with a club option for the 2027 season. His first two seasons were underwhelming, leaving fans and the team asking for more.
Between 2023 and 2024, he had 65 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 16 quarterback hits, and seven sacks. He certainly showed flashes, but wasn't able to do it on a consistent level. And things looked different this year before he went down.
Through six games (1 start) this season, Van Ness has 11 total tackles, three TFLs, six QB hits (tying his 2024 total), and 1.5 sacks. He also had 16 total pressures and nine hurries. It seemed like the Iowa product was poised for a breakout season and looked ready to make an impact. According to Pro Football Focus, he had a 73.4 overall grade (29th among 116 graded edge rushers), 69.6 pass-rush grade (43rd among 116 graded edge rushers), and 67.1 run defense grade (35th among 116 graded edge rushers).
Granted, these grades would have fluctuated over the course of the season, but these all would have been career-highs for Van Ness. This injury isn't what anyone wanted, but the third-year pro has shown what he can do. And since he could be under team control for the next two seasons at a minimal cap hit, only emphasizing why he'll be around for at least the 2026 season.
Rashan Gary is a name that has been floated around as someone who may be on his way out of town. Especially since he's the 13th-highest paid edge rusher but has been quiet for stretches of the season. And that shouldn't be the case with that price tag and Micah Parsons rushing from the other side.
Gary's shaky play is a big reason why Van Ness will stick around, especially if things don't turn around soon. It sounds like Van Ness will be back on the field sooner rather than later, anyway, and picking up from where he left off would give the Packers another reason to keep him around throughout the foreseeable future.