According to ESPN, Green Bay’s defense showed a sharp swing late last season. Through 14 weeks the Packers ranked fifth in fewest yards allowed, sixth in fewest points allowed and eighth in ESPN’s pass rush win rate. Over the final four weeks they fell to 24th, 29th and 21st in those categories, a slide that coincided with Micah Parsons tearing the ACL in his left knee in Week 15 at Denver.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said losing great players changes how a team plays and tries to win, and the defense now is under new coordinator Jonathan Gannon after Jeff Hafley departed for the Miami Dolphins head-coaching job, according to ESPN. Gannon will likely be without Parsons for at least the first month of the season, ESPN adds.
At defensive tackle the Packers return Devonte Wyatt, Karl Brooks, Warren Brinson, Jordon Riley, Jonathan Ford, Nazir Stackhouse and Anthony Campbell. Colby Wooden is the key loss. The team added Javon Hargrave on a two-year, $23 million contract and also brought in Chris McClellan and Jaden Crumedy. Hargrave provides size alongside Wyatt in the new 3-4 front, helps fill holes left after trading Kenny Clark and Wooden, and reunites a player who produced under Gannon in Philadelphia. Gannon described Hargrave as a team-first player who loves football, is smart, works hard and is tough as nails. ESPN rates this group as better.
The edge group lists Micah Parsons, Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell, Brenton Cox Jr., Arron Mosby and Collin Oliver as returners, with Rashan Gary and Kingsley Enagbare among the losses and Dani Dennis-Sutton and Nyjalik Kelly added. The position is considered to need help with Parsons unlikely to play before October, and Van Ness and Sorrell will be expected to produce more consistently. Parsons had 12.5 sacks and a league-high 64 pressures in 14 games last season, and he said the move to a 3-4 should suit him because he can play inside or outside and make it harder for opponents to identify rushers. ESPN rates the edge group as worse.
ESPN’s position-by-position look frames the changes around personnel moves, injuries and the coaching shift to Gannon as Green Bay prepares for the new season.
