As previously discussed, the Green Bay Packers won't have their best player on the field for the first month-plus of the regular season. Micah Parsons is still nursing an ACL injury, and the team won't put him in harm's way until he's back to full strength.
While there's no such thing as replacing a player of Parsons' caliber, the Packers must work overtime to mitigate his absence as much as possible. They didn't do much to address that in the offseason, so one would assume they're happy with their current group.
Maybe that's the case, but it certainly doesn't sound like it. When asked about the pass-rushing corps, general manager Brian Gutekunst did little to appease the concerns, though he later tried to right his wrong.
The Packers may not have enough to get by without Micah Parsons
“Yeah, I think we do,” Gutekunst said (h/t Bill Huber). “I’m really excited about the group we have. We only kept four on the active [roster] but, on the practice squad, we were able to keep Nyjalik [Kelly] as well as Arron Mosby,” Gutekunst continued. “As you know, things can change, but those six guys I feel pretty good about.”
One can acknowledge that the Packers — or any other team, for what it's worth — don't have enough to replace Micah Parsons straight up — that's fine. But saying 'I think so' doesn't necessarily scream security or certainty.
Granted, it's not like they could've done much more to address Parsons' absence, more so if they always expected him back on the field at some point in the season. However, there were obvious upgrades available.
Even when Parsons returns, there should be a ramp-up period. Most players don't regain their explosiveness and mobility until the second season after their injury, and the Packers might err on the side of caution with him and keep him on a snap count early on.
The Packers ignored their most glaring needs this offseason, failing to improve the interior of their offensive line and failing to give Jonathan Gannon a bona fide pass rusher to replace Parsons. Rookie Dani Dennis-Sutton is promising but raw, and Javon Hargrave isn't getting any younger.
This team can't afford to get off to a slow start, especially in the stacked NFC North. And unless Lukas Van Ness finally turns the corner and lives up to the hype as a former first-round pick, they could struggle to put pressure at the line of scrimmage.
The defensive backs have gushed about all the freedom they have with Gannon at the helm, and that's nice and all, but this game is won and lost in the trenches. Will they be able to hold their own for six-plus weeks while Parsons returns? Hopefully, but even Gutekunst doesn't seem to love their chances.
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