The Green Bay Packers typically don’t throw rookies into the fire, but the team’s recent youth movement means more early opportunities for young players than usual. On offense, they’ve already listed rookies Luke Musgrave and Jarran Reed as starters. While the Packers haven’t listed any defensive rookies as starters, expect them to see a good amount of snaps soon.
Even though he isn’t a starter, first-round rookie Lukas Van Ness should get an ideal opportunity to cut his teeth in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears. With star pass-rusher Rashan Gary on a snap count and Chicago’s reformed but still fairly “meh” offensive line ripe for the picking, Week 1 should be a great opportunity for the rookie to show off his skills.
When Gary joined the Packers in 2019, pundits viewed him as a raw but athletically gifted prospect who Green Bay could mold into a star pass-rusher. Gary had the benefit of learning behind Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith before becoming a force in his own right.
Van Ness is of a similar mold. He’s a young, athletically gifted player who needs some polish. Despite not being a starter at Iowa, Van Ness saw plenty of action. But unlike Gary, Van Ness will get more time on the field early as a pro thanks to positional depth and the Packers being in a different place than they were in 2019.
Frankly, it’s amazing how quickly Gary has made his way back into the lineup after tearing his ACL halfway through last season. Not only has Gary speedily worked his way back, he’s looked just as dominant (in admittedly limited action) as before the injury. But the Packers will be cautious with their budding star. Last week, Matt LaFleur said that Gary will be on a snap count against the Bears. While it’s good news that Gary will play against Chicago, we aren’t sure just how often he’ll be on the field.
Beyond Gary, Preston Smith is the other starter and should stay plenty busy. Anecdotally, Smith seems at his best during odd-numbered years, a good sign for one of the team’s few true veteran players.
That means that Kingsley Enagbare and Van Ness are the next men up.
Enagbare had a really nice rookie season and built on that through training camp and preseason. It’s rare to find great pass-rushers in the later round, and the 2022 fifth-rounder seems to be an outlier. He likely would have started as OLB2 had Gary not miraculously returned so early.
Even as OLB4, Van Ness should get plenty of chances against the Bears, who haven’t had the best offensive line the past few seasons.
Chicago’s opponents sacked Justin Fields a whopping 55 times in 2022, tied with Russell Wilson for most in the league. Fields also ranked last in the NFL in average time to throw (3.45 seconds). Right now, Fields’ legs are his best asset. He is always a threat to extend plays or run with the ball. That play style means that he’ll always be a high-sack-total QB.
But Fields’ bad offensive line and lack of receiving options in 2022 certainly didn’t help. The Bears did their best to improve both their line and receiving threats in 2023. They added an elite receiver in D.J. Moore and upgraded their O-line by signing former Tennessee Titans guard Nate Davis and drafting right tackle Darnell Wright in the first round. They also moved Cody Whitehair from LG to center and Teven Jenkins from RG to LG. Between the additions and shuffling, 80% of their starting offensive line is different this season.
While the group is drastically improved, it still is viewed as slightly below league average. Furthermore, Jenkins will miss at least four games on IR, meaning he’s out against the Packers.
Between a shaky offensive line missing one of its best players and a quarterback prone to being sacked, this is a good game for Green Bay’s pass rush to show what it can do. Fields will always be dangerous with his legs, and the run defense needs to do its part, but the Packers have a nice opportunity to make life rough when Fields needs to throw.
Thus Green Bay should be able to put Van Ness in some favorable situations, especially on obvious passing downs. The team won’t want to rush his growth, but they’d like to see him play a significant role sooner than later. The Packers aren’t in the same win-now mode as during the Rodgers era, but the team is hoping for a quick turnaround and to see what pieces they have as future cornerstones. The Bears offer an ideal early opportunity to see what they have in Van Ness.
In Week 1 last season, Jonathan Garvin and Enagbare, the team’s OLB 3 and OLB4, saw 10 and 12 snaps, respectively. That game was, obviously, bad, and neither player was someone the team was rushing to throw into the game. Van Ness could easily see 10-15 snaps and get some nice matchups.
We can’t expect too much from the rookie just yet, but Week 1 against the Bears is a great draw for Green Bay’s pass rush and offers a nice opportunity to get Hercules some valuable NFL snaps. Don’t be surprised to see the rookie make an early impact in Chicago.
