The Packer's Defensive Front Looks SCARY

     What has been a struggle for Packers the last few seasons has been the presence of a dominant pass rush unit. This upcoming NFL season looks to be a chance for the Packers to change the narrative.

    For starters, last season the Packers lost their star edge rusher in Rashan Gary to a torn ACL. That loss hurt them badly and made an already mediocre pass rush worse. But Gary is back and will be making his debut since the injury week one on a pitch count against the Bears. Gary finished last season with 6 sacks through only 9 games and was on pace to become one of the best in the league. 

    Across from Gary will be the rookie debut of the Packer's first round draft pick in 2023, Lukas Van Kness. At 6'5, 272 lbs, Van Kness brings another huge body across the field from Rashan Gary to add to the Green Bay pass rush. Van Kness finished his career with the Iowa Hawkeyes producing 13.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss over two seasons. The duo of Gary and Van Kness looks deadly and should strike fear into other NFL teams.

    Preston Smith is another name you can't forget to mention. The veteran Smith has been a vocal leader for this defensive squad. Smith is 30, but that shouldn't stop him from making an impact on this unit. His leadership is going to be key for a very young Green Bay squad and help with depth at the outside linebacker position.

    A player to keep an eye on is Kingsley Enagbare who looked incredible for Green Bay in the preseason. Enagbare stepped into the rotation last season after Rashan Gary went down and the reps he has gotten look to have paid off. The outside linebacker rotation of Gary, Smith, Van Kness, and Enagbare is going to be a huge factor in the performance of the defense this season.

    Up next, the interior big boys.

    The trio of starting defensive lineman the Packers have right now have the potential to be the best they've had in awhile. Kenny Clark being the first, a veteran who has produced at a high level but is coming off of a year where it didn't feel like he made much of a difference. The reason being? He was doubled basically every single game and had no assistance in pressuring the QB. This year I see Clark making a big comeback with the presence of Devonte Wyatt and T.J. Slaton.

    Slaton and Wyatt are going to be thrown into this defensive line rotation heavily this season. Wyatt is coming off of a rookie season where he was just getting his feet wet in the NFL. Not to forget, he was also one of five Georgia Bulldog defenders picked in the 2022 NFL draft in the first round. T.J. Slaton is going to get a lot of reps as well, both Slaton and Wyatt were behind veterans Jarran Reed and Dean Lowry last season and were given limited reps. Expect some mistakes early this season but these are fresh legs that can make an immediate impact in taking the workload off of Kenny Clark.

    If Gary and Van Kness are able to bring the pressure hard on the outside, the interior big boys should be able to feast and make a name for themselves and bring some glory back to the defensive line position in Green Bay.

    The youthful presence in Green Bay's defensive front has the opportunity to surprise a lot of teams this season if healthy. Rashan Gary being brought back into the mix gives this defense a huge jumpstart when it comes to pressuring opposing offenses.

    The youth and potential of this Green Bay front is exciting and all Packer fans should be aware that this season is not going to be brutal to watch. There is a lot of talent on both sides of the football.

    Real Packer fans know.🧀