The Green Bay Packers seem to be getting stronger by the day, and that includes a group of players who are set to return from injured reserve. The Packers enjoyed the return of wideout Jayden Reed in Sunday’s victory over the Chicago Bears, but they're still waiting on another group that is currently in its 21-day practice window, including rookie defensive end Colin Oliver.
Oliver has started to gain some hype as a fifth-round pick out of Oklahoma State and is projected to serve exclusively as a defensive end after playing a hybrid linebacker role during his time in Stillwater. But just as the train looked like it was about to leave the station, The Athletic’s Matthew Schneidman revealed his rookie year could end in a way that few want to happen.
“The Packers opened Oliver’s 21-day window 10 days ago, and he’s been practicing, so they have 11 more to activate him or end his season,” Schneidman wrote in a mailbag article. “They’re also due to make a similar decision on defensive end Brenton Cox Jr., whom I’d imagine they hold in higher regard than the fifth-round rookie who’s never played a snap. And there might only be one spot for both of them, if that. In other words, it’s probably a redshirt year for Oliver.”
Collin Oliver’s Rookie Season Becoming a Lost Cause for Packers
Schneidman’s observation sets up a harsh reality for Oliver. When his practice window opened on Dec. 1, head coach Matt LaFleur sounded bullish on his potential as a defensive end and even suggested that he could be coming for some of the veteran's snaps if he was healthy enough to contribute.
“It’s at defensive end,” LaFleur said of Oliver’s role via The Leap’s Jason B. Hirschhorn. “He’s missed a lot of football. Just to see how he responds to getting in there and how he does, the more quickly he acclimates, the role could grow.”
Even with LaFleur’s suggestion, Oliver had to face an uphill battle. First, he has to prove he is healthy enough from a hamstring injury suffered during training camp. Even if he’s healthy, he also has to show that he grasps the defense enough not be a liability on the field, which is another challenge considering he’s missed three months of practice time.
The final hurdle is the numbers game. The Packers have Micah Parsons in a starting role and are currently installing a timeshare between Rashan Gary and Kingsley Enagbare at the other starting position. Former first-round pick Lukas Van Ness is also on the roster, and it’s unlikely the Packers would like to carry five defensive ends in favor of players who can add depth elsewhere or on special teams.
It’s a situation that has rookie Barryn Sorrell fighting for snaps, and he may not be able to get them, considering the current logjam at the position. If Sorrell, a healthy player who was taken one round ahead of Oliver last April, is having this problem, what are the chances of another rookie who has missed significant time cracking that group?
The answer doesn’t seem to be in Oliver’s favor, and it could leave him with a lost rookie season and hopes for a better 2026 campaign.