The Green Bay Packers made one of the biggest moves in recent years when they traded for Micah Parsons last offseason. Not many times a player of his caliber is available, and selling the farm to get him was the right call.
Unfortunately, luck is also a factor in this line of business. Parsons' first year in Wisconsin was cut short with a torn ACL with three games left to play in the regular season, and he's still recovering from that.
While there's still a tiny chance that he can play in the season opener, the most realistic outlook is that he'll be out for at least a month. That's why Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report believes the pass-rush is the team's biggest weakness:
The Green Bay Packers need their pass rushers to step up
"Parsons recorded 12.5 of Green Bay's 36 sacks last season, and Rashan Gary was the only other Packers defender to top four sacks—and he was traded to Dallas this offseason. Green Bay did add Javon Hargrave to the defensive line, but as long as Parsons is inactive, the pass rush will loom as a liability," wrote Knox.
Of course, not many people would agree that a team with Micah Parsons on the roster needs help in the pass-rushing department, but here we are. Outside of him, the Packers don't have a single proven commodity at the position.
Knox mentioned Javon Hargrave, but even if he turns back the clock to start the season strong, he's up in age and might not be able to sustain a high level of play for a full season. He might be more of a situational guy at this point in his career.
Then, there's Lukas Van Ness. The team continues to be extremely high on him, even picking up his fifth-year player option, but he has yet to prove what he's capable of. He played well enough last season, but was also banged up.
The Packers spent big bucks on DeVonte Wyatt this offseason, so he should be under more pressure than ever to deliver. Some argue he was overpaid and hasn't earned his stripes yet, so it'll be up to him to prove the doubters wrong.
Then, this team will have Karl Brooks and rookie Chris McCllelan trying to hold down the fort in Parsons' absence, which is clearly far from an ideal scenario, especially in the most competitive division in pro football.
The Packers hired Jonathan Gannon to take the reins from Jeff Hafley after a couple of great years in charge of the defense. He'll have some big shoes to fill and won't have the team's best player to fill them, at least early on in the season. If anything, this will be a perfect opportunity to redeem himself after his Arizona Cardinals tenure.
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