Packers’ latest injury update reinforces why Green Bay should explore one more veteran addition to the defense
Lukas Van Ness suffered a shoulder injury in the preseason opener, and the edge defender room is too thin at this point.
The Green Bay Packers received another concerning injury update that reinforces a growing roster need. Former first-round pick Lukas Van Ness played just three snaps against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the preseason opener and has already been declared out of practice.
Van Ness was spotted with the rehab group on Sunday because of a shoulder injury suffered during that preseason game, even though the recovery timeline is unclear. The timing could not be worse for a Packers edge rusher room already dealing with the absence of Micah Parsons.
Van Ness has had a hard time with injuries
Lukas Van Ness missed eight games last season due to a foot injury. While he doesn’t necessarily have a lengthy injury history across his career, that’s essentially half a season lost, and it affected his development within the Packers’ defensive hierarchy. Now he’s dealing with a shoulder injury after just three preseason snaps.
Considering what Van Ness went through last year and the new shoulder problem, it’s harder to count on him to stay healthy throughout the early stretch of the regular season.
The Packers are also handling the Parsons situation. The star defender is expected to miss at least four or five games to start the regular season. Without him, and with Van Ness now banged up again, Green Bay’s depth at edge defender looks thin.
Barryn Sorrell played only three snaps against the Steelers. The Packers are banking on the development of the former fourth-round pick and on Brenton Cox Jr. to fill the role alongside Van Ness while Parsons is out. Collin Oliver, a hybrid edge defender and off-ball linebacker who has played well at times as a designated pass rusher, is also in the mix. But Oliver missed almost his entire rookie season last year, playing only one game. On top of all that, rookie fourth-rounder Dani Dennis-Sutton also missed the preseason opener with an illness. That’s a lot of uncertainty at one position group.
Free agency options still exist
Green Bay lost the opportunity to sign a player like Jadeveon Clowney, and Von Miller ended up signing with the Dallas Cowboys over the weekend. But there are still options available. Joey Bosa, Haason Reddick, Yetur Gross-Matos, and Kyle Van Noy all remain unsigned. None of those players are long-term answers. However, the Packers don’t need a long-term answer right now.
The fact that general manager Brian Gutekunst only needs a short-term option should motivate him to pull the trigger and add depth ahead of the regular season. When Parsons returns around Week 6 or 7, that veteran presence could slide into a rotational role. If Van Ness stays healthy or one of the younger players develops into a more impactful piece, the veteran’s role would shrink further.
After Parsons went down last year, the Packers failed to generate consistent pressure with their edge rushers, and that ended up stressing the secondary. If signing a veteran can help Green Bay generate more pressure during those early weeks, Gutekunst should certainly make that move.
