The Green Bay Packers have established their defensive line rotation. Kenny Clark is the star and deservedly plays above 80% of the defensive snaps. The other starters are Jarran Reed and Dean Lowry, with over 60%. Green Bay has entrenched youngsters T.J. Slaton, 25, and Devonte Wyatt, 24, as backups. However, they have proven they need more chances to be on the field.
That’s the only way for the Packers to show they will follow what looked to be the roster-building plan executed before the season.
Collective plan
The Packers rebuilt their defensive line group. They added Reed in free agency and drafted first-round defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt and seventh-round nose tackle Jonathan Ford while letting Tyler Lancaster and Abdullah Anderson walk.
Those moves signaled a desire to be heavier on the defensive line. The basic concept was expected to be the one-and-half-gap technique, where defensive linemen are responsible for one gap but also keep leverage to help another gap if needed. Vic Fangio, Brandon Staley, and Raheem Morris — other coaches from the same coaching tree as Joe Barry — use the same style.
However, Barry has distanced himself from that idea. He is running a scheme more similar to his NFL roots. In particular, his time under Rod Marinelli with the Detroit Lions. It’s a simple one-gap scheme, where defensive linemen are asked to penetrate a single gap to generate pressure, but that approach overloads the off-ball linebackers in the run game.
That’s why, according to Packers pundit Andy Herman, the linemen are the highest-graded group on the team, and the linebackers are the lowest-graded. De’Vondre Campbell and Quay Walker are not well-suited to play this role because they are better as coverage backers in space.
Therefore, it would make more sense to follow what was believed to be the initial plan. Running what the Rams do — and what Joe Barry was hired to do, installing the Staley’s scheme — is the smarter approach to take advantage of the Packers’ personnel. And, in this case, Dean Lowry shouldn’t play as much as he has.
Individual performance
Individually, Lowry also hasn’t justified his presence on the field at such a high percentage. He is third in defensive line snaps (61.32%), well ahead of rookie first-round pick Devonte Wyatt (9.76%). But their production indicates that this difference must shrink. According to PFF, Lowry has a 53.2 grade against a 61.7 grade for the rookie.
Defensive linemen snap % through five weeks
- Kenny Clark – 80.14%
- Jarran Reed – 69.34%
- Dean Lowry – 61.32%
- T.J. Slaton – 29.27%
- Devonte Wyatt – 9.76%
It’s fair to expect some rookie mistakes while Wyatt is adapting to the NFL, but he has much more potential and is part of the future, so it makes more sense to overcome the growing pains now and get him ready for December and January.
“He can be really good on first and second down,” Packers defensive line coach and running game coordinator Jerry Montgomery said in May. “And he’s an inside guy that has some unique traits as a pass-rusher. Some things you can’t teach, he just naturally has. He’s got twitch, and he’s got a high motor. Just a natural high motor. Really, really good defensive line traits.”
Those traits, though, haven’t been maximized so far.
Slaton, a 2021 fifth-round pick, has also been better in the last couple of games. He’s been able to generate pressure and be more physical than Lowry, especially on rushing downs.
The Packers made a significant investment to draft Wyatt, selecting him with the 28th-overall pick. Because they took Wyatt, Green Bay also had to trade up both of their late second-round picks to move up in the second to select wide receiver Christian Watson. Had they taken Watson at No. 28, the Packers could have kept their other picks to get two potential starters.
That aggressive approach for an older prospect in a non-premium position shows how much confidence the Packers’ front office has in Wyatt. But those factors have not been translated to the football field yet.
The Packers are in a tough spot. As I wrote earlier this week, they are in the middle of a road. It’s important to use veteran players who technically are ready to contribute. However, Reed and especially Lowry haven’t justified this playing time, so it might be time for the young guys to have more opportunities.
