The Green Bay Packers strayed from their modus operandi in the first round of last year’s draft when they selected Devonte Wyatt. The defensive lineman was an older prospect, 24 by the time of the draft, and didn’t exactly play a premium position. Immediately, the expectation was that Wyatt could contribute right away, but that’s not how things happened in Year 1 for the former Georgia player.
Wyatt played well when the Packers gave him opportunities. However, he was just the fifth defensive lineman in Green Bay’s rotation behind Kenny Clark, Jarran Reed, Dean Lowry, and T.J. Slaton.
Snap count:
- Kenny Clark (807)
- Jarran Reed (705)
- Dean Lowry (482)
- T.J. Slaton (333)
- Devonte Wyatt (224)
However, according to PFF grades, he was the best of them on a snap-by-snap basis:
- Devonte Wyatt (69.9)
- Kenny Clark (66.4)
- Jarran Reed (61.9)
- T.J. Slaton (61.7)
- Dean Lowry (59.3)
It’s hard to understand exactly what happened and why Wyatt didn’t play as much as he could have. It probably had to do with his playing style, practice habits, and willingness to execute the proposed role.
However, the Packers don’t have many options next year. Two of the four linemen who were ahead of Wyatt on the depth chart are now gone — Reed signed back with the Seattle Seahawks, and Lowry went to the Minnesota Vikings in free agency. Wyatt is currently third on the depth chart. However, he needs to establish himself as the second option to justify his draft status and for the Packers to have as much talent on the field as much as possible.
“We’re going to need that from him. I think he’s shown flashes,” Matt LaFleur said during the NFL annual meetings. “It’s going to be a big year in terms of just the understanding of the game and reading keys. That helps you play the position a lot better.”
Wyatt received more opportunities as the season went on. He played an average of nine snaps per game in the first nine games. Then he more than doubled that, with 20 snaps per game in the last seven games. In this period, from Weeks 12 to 18, Wyatt had six pressures, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble.
The Packers are currently in fourth in cap space, at $21.85 million, which feels a little surprising. But that number doesn’t tell the whole story, and the Packers have almost maxed out their tools to create space. Therefore, the front office will have to use this amount to sign anyone they want in free agency, plus the draft class, and also operate during the season.
Moreover, trading Aaron Rodgers will take $9 million away from the equation. The complicated financial situation limits what the Packers can do, and that’s in part why they let Reed walk in free agency. However, Lowry’s departure was more related to his insufficient performance. But now it’s hard to replace them with quality starters. Even if Brian Gutekunst decides to use a high draft pick on an interior defensive lineman, rookies take time to develop. Wyatt is a good example. He came from a championship-pedigree program at Georgia.
Right now, the Packers have five interior defensive linemen on their 90-man roster. Besides Clark, Wyatt, and Slaton, the team has Jonathan Ford, a seventh-round pick last year who spent all his rookie season inactive for games, and Chris Slayton, a veteran player who was previously with the New York Giants, Buffalo Bills, Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers, and San Francisco 49ers. Slayton was one of the highlights of the team in the last preseason but spent the entire season on the practice squad.
Taking into consideration how much the Packers have invested in Devonte Wyatt, it’s imperative for the team to take advantage of what he offers. As a bigger lineman, he’s perfect if Green Bay finally wants to run the gap and a half alignment under defensive coordinator Joe Barry. Last year, Wyatt finished the season with 13 total tackles and five stops, even in such a small sample size. Now, it’s time for him to keep the efficiency with more playing time. The Packers defense needs it.
