Packers make intriguing roster move that could quietly add much-needed juice to the defense with a talented young piece
Edge defender and linebacker hybrid Collin Oliver will have a chance to make his NFL debut.
The Green Bay Packers took all 21 days of the practice window, but the team has finally activated edge rusher/off-ball linebacker hybrid Collin Oliver from the physically unable to perform list. The corresponding move was to place tight end John FitzPatrick on injured reserve — the veteran tore his Achilles during the Chicago Bears game.
Intriguing move
Collin Oliver is a rookie who was drafted by the Packers in the fifth round. The first-year player missed the entire training camp, preseason, and regular season so far with a groin injury — and that’s why he was placed on PUP in the first place.
The Packers had opened Oliver’s 21-day practice window back on Dec. 1. Last week, he was able to practice at full capacity, a good indication that he will be soon able to play.
It’s the second edge rusher that the Packers activate over the past two weeks. Ahead of the Bears game, the team had activated Brenton Cox Jr. from injured reserve — at least, those are intriguing depth pieces to replace what the Packers lost with Micah Parsons’ season-ending knee injury.
Collin Oliver’s college production
Oliver barely played in 2024 because of a foot injury that ended his final college season. But in the 80 snaps he did play, Oliver had a crazy 31.8% pass rush win rate. A designated pass rusher, he didn’t have the same efficiency against the run.
In 2023, he had 480 snaps as an off-ball linebacker and 435 snaps as an edge rusher. He was projected to be an edge-only piece in 2024, but the injury precluded him from playing significant time. Oliver was the 208th player on the consensus big board.
Draft report by Dane Brugler, from The Athletic
“A three-year starter at Oklahoma State, Oliver was a hybrid weakside linebacker in former defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo’s 3-3-5 base scheme, standing up as a wide edge and off-the-ball ‘backer. A defensive end his first two seasons in Stillwater, he moved to linebacker in the spring of 2023, although he was at his best when allowed to rush the pocket. He led the team in sacks his first three seasons — and likely would have again in 2024, were it not for his season-ending foot injury.
With his short-area burst and high energy, Oliver makes himself a fast, small target for blockers, and he plays with better force than expected for his size. Though it is easy to love his football-playing temperament, his sawed-off body can leave him tied up and overwhelmed, especially in tight quarters. Overall, Oliver is an explosive, leverage-based rusher, but he lacks the measurables for full-time edge work and is unproven dropping or playing from depth. He projects best as a nickel rusher with long-term potential as a developmental off-ball linebacker.” — Dane Brugler, The Athletic.
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