Wide receiver, cornerback, defensive end.
Those are generally agreed upon as the most pressing needs for the Green Bay Packers this offseason. While it’s hard to argue against any of them, it is time to add another to the list.
The interior of the defensive line.
Jeff Hafley’s defense ranked No. 7 in rushing yards allowed per game in his first year running the show. There weren’t many instances of teams running wild on the Packers in 2024. A big tip of the cap goes to the big fellas up front for clogging up those running lanes.
Green Bay also finished tied for No. 8 in total sacks with 45. Those are two big numbers people often use to judge how a defensive front is performing. In both cases, the Packers finished in the upper echelon of the NFL. The numbers don’t tell the entire story, though.
Kenny Clark has been the model of consistency for the Packers. Green Bay took Clark 27th-overall in 2016, and he has been as durable as they come, missing just one game in the last four years.
After receiving a third contract extension with Green Bay last summer, much of the same was expected from the veteran leader. While Clark didn’t underperform, he also didn’t post his typical numbers, leaving many to wonder why.
Clark had a career-low one sack in 2024 and tied for a career-low with six quarterback hurries. Many weeks came and went when Clark didn’t have the impact that had become the norm throughout his first six years in Green Bay.
Having a down season happens, even to the most reliable players. The bigger question is if age is becoming a factor. Clark turns 30 next October and signed a three-year extension last summer.
Brian Gutekunst praised Clark after the team dished out the extension in July.
He is the model player that you want to build a program around. Obviously he’s a great player, he’s been as consistent as you could ever imagine, and we’re just really excited to be able to extend him and let him lead that group for the foreseeable future.
Consistency has been the name of the game for Clark’s career. However, it took a dip in 2024.
T.J. Slaton is also a big part of the defensive line’s interior. Slaton has started every game in the last two seasons for the Packers and has played in every regular-season contest dating back to his rookie year in 2021.
However, Slaton’s playing time dropped in Hafley’s first year at the helm, going from 56% of the snaps played on defense in 2023 to 39% in 2024. Slaton has also never been the guy to make splash plays, with only two sacks in four years and six combined tackles for loss.
The problem with parting ways this offseason is that Green Bay lacks the depth to easily replace the snaps Slaton chews up. At 330 lbs., Slaton constantly takes on double teams up front. That’s why the interior of the line is a more pressing issue than what some may realize at first glance.
Slaton shouldn’t be expensive to bring back into the fold. However, Green Bay could look towards the draft or free agency for someone who can have a bigger impact.
Speaking of impact, let’s talk about Devonte Wyatt.
People expected the former first-round pick out of Georgia to be a big component of Hafley’s 4-3 defense. It sure looked that way early on.
In the first month of the season, Wyatt had three sacks and six tackles for loss in just four games. He was oozing with confidence and playing with a ton of momentum.
However, that came to a screeching halt in Week 4 when Wyatt suffered an ankle injury against Minnesota and missed the next three games. He never fully got back on track, although he notched a sack in back-to-back games against the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints in December.
Wyatt has a fifth-year option that Green Bay must decide on this offseason. Gutekunst said quite a few things about Wyatt in January, including believing No. 95 was Green Bay’s best interior pass rusher in 2024. Gutekunst also said he was “fired up” about Wyatt’s season and that he believed it was Wyatt’s best year yet.
It sounds like a general manager motivated to keep Wyatt around for the long run. Whether or not that comes to fruition is yet to be determined.
Of the group inside, Wyatt is the player who has so much untapped potential yet to be displayed consistently. The decision the Packers make on his fifth-year option will be significant.
Green Bay’s roster has pressing questions and holes that it must address. Most have identified wide receiver, cornerback, and defensive end. Don’t forget about the interior of the defensive line — it’s sneaky-uncertain.
