The Green Bay Packers have an NFC North battle against the Minnesota Vikings coming up on Sunday. Every divisional game is always key, and the Packers could be getting some reinforcements along the defensive line.
Head coach Matt LaFleur spoke to the media on Friday before practice and said the plan is for defensive end Lukas Van Ness to play for the first time since Week 6. And his return is great for the defensive line, but it adds another layer to their plans.
Lukas Van Ness’ Return Throws Wrench in Packers’ Plans
Van Ness has been dealing with a foot injury that occurred when he sacked Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco in Week 6. For the last few weeks, he was limited in practice and seems ready to get back into the action. Before getting hurt, he played 162 defensive snaps in five outings, logging 11 total tackles, three TFLs, and 1.5 sacks.
In his absence, Kingsley Enagbare has seen an uptick in plays. Since Week 7, he has played in at least 40% of the defensive snaps and even outsnapped Gary in the win over the Packers last week. LaFleur said it was a byproduct of the game and that Gary has never been a "huge snap count guy," but this only adds more questions to the defensive line rotation.
Star pass rusher Micah Parsons is the alpha in that room, but how the snaps shake out between Van Ness, Gary, and Enagbare will be interesting. Colby Wooden has also been a consistent player upfront, logging 352 total snaps, notching seven games with more than 50% of the defensive snaps.
Having a bunch of pass rushers to throw at offensive lines is a great thing to have and allows guys to stay fresh throughout the course of the game. Yet finding a balance is where things get tricky. Considering that Gary is making $25.7 million in 2025, everyone would expect him to be the top guy across from Parsons, but that hasn't been the case. And last week proved that.
With Van Ness playing well before going down, the coaching staff will ease him back in. Regardless, how the breakdown will be in the defensive line room is something to keep an eye on. They have a ton of guys they like playing, but not everyone is going to be happy with their snap count. And it'll be interesting to see who that player will be.