Low ranking highlights challenge ahead for DeMarcus Covington and Packers DL
The Packers didn't add anything significant via free agency or the draft and are confident they have the right talent along the defensive line to be great. It'll be up to Covington -- who is replacing fired assistant Jason Rebrovich -- and his development of young players entering Year 2 in Jeff Hafley's defense to power improvement and prove the decision-makers right.
Defensive line play is so important in today's NFL. Great defenses must be able to disrupt the opposing quarterback, and the best of the best can consistently pressure the quarterback with only four rushers. Too often last season, the Packers were unable to pressure the top quarterbacks or consistently get home with just four, which required more blitzing and more pressure placed on the coverage behind the defensive line.
PFF's Zoltan Buday pointed to a few concerning realities for the Packers: Rashan Gary's overall grade has fallen during each of the last three seasons, and Kenny Clark is coming off arguably his worst season as a pro.
From Buday: "Edge defender Rashan Gary's PFF overall grade has declined in three straight seasons since his career-best 2021 campaign, and he ranked only 49th among edge defenders with a 66.7 PFF pass-rush grade in 2024. Interior defender Kenny Clark will turn 30 during the 2025 season and has already shown signs of decline in recent seasons. He ranked 53rd among interior defenders with a 60.0 PFF overall grade last season."
The counterargument: Gary was still a good player in 2024, even if he didn't produce elite pass-rushing numbers, and Clark dealt with a season-long foot injury that required surgery earlier this year. But the Packers still need more from each Pro Bowler in 2025.
The Packers are also banking on 2022 first-round pick Devonte Wyatt becoming a dominant player inside and 2023 first-round pick Lukas Van Ness giving Gary a capable and disruptive partner at edge rusher. Kingsley Enagbare, Brenton Cox Jr. and Arron Mosby are back after playing roles for the Packers defense in 2024.
In terms of additions, the Packers drafted true defensive end Barynn Sorrell in the fourth round and subpackage pass-rusher Collin Oliver in the fifth round in April, providing more developmental options.
Can the Packers take a big step in 2025? There's no doubting the investment made in the defensive line -- four former first-round picks are going to play leading roles for Hafley and Covington, and the Packers have recent draft picks developing behind the expected starters both on the edge and inside.
Internal development will determine if the Packers improve along the defensive line or if PFF's ranking -- 24th out of 32 teams -- ends up predicting a fatal flaw for Matt LaFleur's team.
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