While Jeff Hafley’s defense has mostly been a net upgrade so far, the Green Bay Packers are still lacking in one area: their pass rush.
So it was intriguing to see them become sellers at the trade deadline, offering veteran edge rusher Preston Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a late-round pick.
Smith was a reliable presence for the Packers and one of the most experienced locker room leaders (and low-effort engagement bait about being the team’s top cover corner). Still, he felt better suited to a 3-4 defense.
The move offers more opportunities for another player in a very different stage of his career. Second-year edge Lukas Van Ness hasn’t taken the Year 2 leap the team hoped for. Will more snap opportunities help LVN emerge in the second half of this season?
Van Ness is the sort of prospect Brian Gutekunst loves — a massive, athletically blessed body with raw abilities that the Packers can mold into a star. Despite limited experience in college, we’re reminded of Ted Thompson‘s statement about how the good lord only made so many big, athletic men.
As a rookie, Van Ness showed some flashes, including running down the speedy Justin Fields in Week 1. The former Hawkeye finished his rookie season with 23 solo tackles, five sacks, and a respectable 64 PFF grade.
While he’s far from alone in this regard, he’s been less impactful in Year 2.
Despite playing 41.02% of defensive snaps, the fourth-most among Green Bay defensive ends, he has just six pressures, 13 solo tackles, and one sack. His 47.6 PFF grade is much lower than last season’s.
Even more concerning is that Van Ness has more missed tackles and penalties (three of each) than he does sacks and quarterback hits. While his playing time has increased as the season goes on, and his ability as a run-stopper is solid, he’s still far from manning the No. 2 edge spot across from Rashan Gary.
Van Ness was already a raw prospect who needed to define his game with more techniques to avoid relying on pure athletic ability. The radical change in the defensive scheme added more wrinkles, swapping LVN and others from outside linebackers to true defensive ends, and the entire pass-rushing operation still hasn’t fully adapted yet. Still, you’d like to see Van Ness do more with the opportunities Green Bay has given him.
Smith’s snap counts steadily decreased, leading to his trade, one reason the move wasn’t terribly surprising. His absence will mean great opportunities for the next man up. But despite Van Ness’s draft pedigree and high ceiling, he’s not necessarily a lock to be the starter.
Specifically, 2022 fifth-round pick Kingsley Enagbare has played a similar amount of defensive snaps (42.78%) but has been more fruitful with them.
He’s been better at generating pressures than Van Ness while notching two sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. He holds a 65.6 PFF grade, which is his best as a pro. As always, PFF grades aren’t the be-all-end-all, but they fit with what we’ve seen in our own eyes.
With a lighter build than the rest of the team’s pass rushers, Enagebare’s body type may be a better fit for what Hafley wants to do.
After Smith’s trade, Gutekunst mentioned Enagbare in his bye-week media availability:
As the last few games, the snaps have gone towards what they’re gonna be probably, with J.J (Enagbare) and those guys. I like that group; I like the way they work. They have to continue to keep pushing and some guys getting more snaps will help them.
We know Gutekunst highly values his draft picks, so it’s interesting that Enagbare got the mention over Van Ness. But it appears that the second edge spot will be a battle between the two young players.
Despite Van Ness’s lack of praise, it’s still far too early to dismiss the second-year defensive end. Betting on elite athletic gifts has worked out for the Packers, and Gary was a similarly raw prospect when they drafted him. While he hasn’t had the best season, Gary developed into a wrecking ball at pressuring the quarterback.
It’s fair to wonder if this strategy is the right move since the Packers aren’t making much impact while these players are on their cheap rookie contracts. Still, there is every chance for the game to “click” for Van Ness and see him emerge as a star player.
Smith’s absence will open more chances for Van Ness even if Enagbare takes the early lead and earns the starting nod. The Packers will rotate players, and you can never have enough edge rushers. Van Ness needs to take a big leap in the second half of the season, and the path for him to get more playing time just opened up.
