Experts project the Chicago Bears’ offense to be run-heavy. Therefore, the Green Bay Packers will need to show improvement on their defensive front, an area where the franchise has struggled in the last decade.
Last year, the team was slightly above average (12th) in pass-rush win rate. However, their pressure rate went down to extreme levels in the second half of the season when Rashan Gary didn’t play because of his ACL injury. Now he is back, and the interior of the defensive line has been through changes. There are some expectations, or at least hope, that they’ll perform better.
Interior
In the offseason, the Packers made significant modifications to their defensive line. They let veterans Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed walk in free agency and drafted Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks. Last year, T.J. Slaton had a prominent role as a three-down player, and the fifth-rounder emerged as a star in camp.
Schematically, there has been a focus on disruption. That’s why the team spent so much capital trying to build a room full of versatile front players, with an emphasis on pressuring opposing quarterbacks. As the Packers’ coaching staff sees it, the disruption will also be important to avoid the big runs Green Bay allowed last season.
“We got a different plan,” defensive tackle Kenny Clark stressed. “You’ll see on Sunday as far as the plan. As far as the techniques and everything, how we’re playing defense, we’re just being more aggressive. Going to move a little bit. You got guys like myself, T.J. (Slaton), D-Wy (Devonte Wyatt) that can play stout and get off of blocks. That’s all we got to do. Get off blocks at the end of the day. Stop the run and plug gaps.”
You will never see a player saying their defense is becoming passive. But the Packers have made meaningful moves to get more aggressive. Starting on Sunday, fans will have an opportunity to see if there will be tangible results.
Edge
The Packers were 22nd in pressure rate last year, but they were second when Gary was still healthy. He’s going to be on a pitch count to start the season, but his presence on the most important downs will make a big impact on the unit.
Moreover, the depth is so much better now. On last season’s initial 53-man roster, Jonathan Garvin and Tipa Galeai were the edges 3 and 4. Since then, the team claimed and later re-signed Justin Hollins, drafted Lukas Van Ness in the first round, and saw meaningful development from Kingsley Enagbare. They also signed Brenton Cox as an undrafted free agent, and he made the team. Garvin and Galeai wouldn’t be more than edges 7 and 8 on this year’s team.
If defensive coordinator Joe Barry can extract what the Packers’ front has in terms of talent, especially against a relatively easy schedule, the unit can finally make a real difference.
Opposition
What the Packers can do with their defensive front is particularly relevant this week. The Chicago Bears had an average offensive line, but there are factors to complicate things for Green Bay’s rival. First, quarterback Justin Fields tends to hold the ball too long, leading the team to allow 55 sacks last year.
The other points are about the line itself. Right tackle Darnell Wright will make his NFL debut on Sunday. Even if he turns out to be good, it’s hard to imagine a totally clean game immediately from a rookie.
Additionally, the Bears placed starting left guard Teven Jenkins on injured reserve. He’s going to miss the first month of the season. That means they’ll move starting center Cody Whitehair to left guard and use old friend Lucas Patrick as the center.
Finally, right guard Nate Davis has handled a strange situation. He didn’t practice or play during most of training camp and preseason, and nobody knows exactly what happened. The free-agent addition is expected to play, but the condition and his chemistry with the offense are uncertain.
The Green Bay Packers have an extremely young offense, so it’s natural that there will be ups and downs — especially early in games, something that has been a trend throughout camp and preseason. That sum of factors makes it even more important for the defense to be dominant. Considering how much the front office has invested in the unit, it’s time for them to have better results.
