Paul Bretl | 4/29/2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The first addition that the Packers made to the defensive front all offseason, including in free agency, came on Day 3 of the NFL draft. GM Brian Gutekunst would then leverage the depth that this year’s draft class had along the defensive front by making three selections at the end or the tackle positions on that final day.
But with the roster shaping now largely completed for the 2025 season, did Gutekunst do enough to bolster the pass rush?
“It wasn’t something we were avoiding,” Gutekunst said about adding to the defensive line. “It was something that again if the right opportunity was there we were going to strike and we were really excited about the guys we got today. I do think we have a number of players that are coming into their own. There’s a number of young players that are coming into their own and should play their best football in front of them.”
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As Gutekunst said at the NFL combine, if the Packers are going to accomplish the goals that they have in 2025, then the pass rush has to be more consistent.
This was a unit last season that, in pivotal late-season games against Detroit, Minnesota, and Philadelphia, those three quarterbacks were pressured on a combined 30.6% of their dropbacks in those three games, according to PFF. For some context around that figure, over the course of the NFL season, Dallas’ Dak Prescott was pressured on 30.9% of his dropbacks, which compared to the rest of the NFL, ranked 34th out of 43 eligible quarterbacks.
As Gutekunst said, there were some strong pass rush performances last season and if you look at the raw pressure and sack numbers, the Packers ranked decently in those categories. However, looking specifically at the front four’s ability to win consistently in 2024, the Packers’ ranked 26th in ESPN’s pass-rush win rate metric as well, which tells the more accurate story of last season’s performance.
Although as the draft unfolded, things played out in a way where the Packers were able to take advantage of the defensive line depth in this class, it’s not as if Green Bay was ignoring that position group on the first two days of the draft. As Gutekunst said following Day 2, you build out the board during the pre-draft process and trust that work. Just because there is a specific positional need, “you can’t create stuff.”
Improved play from the Packers’ pass rush unit was likely always going to have to be a multi-faceted approach. The answer to the question of ‘how does this unit get more consistent’ wasn’t going to be in the form of one addition.
A big part of the equation is going to have to be improved play from those who are already on the roster. Yes, improved play is needed, but it’s not as if this is a position group void of talent either. The Packers have invested heavily into the defensive front, both in terms of salary cap space and draft capital over the years.
The team also hired a new defensive line coach this offseason, in former New England Patriots’ defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington, who, as LaFleur said on Sunday, “may be some new ideas that we can implement.”
“I feel very good about the guys that we’ve got in the building,” Gutekunst said. “We do need to improve with our consistency. But there were times we were pretty dominant this year rushing the passer.”
Along with what the Packers hope is improved play up front, Gutekunst believes the additions that they made on Day 3 can help out right away as well.
At defensive end, Barryn Sorrell is an ascending player, whose production has increased during each of his seasons at Texas. He’s also proven that he can hold up in the run game and has the versatility to line up across multiple gaps.
Collin Oliver, meanwhile, brings a change-up to the Packers’ pass rush unit. For one, he can play off-ball linebacker as well, but from a pass-rush perspective, at 240 pounds, he brings a speed element that isn’t otherwise on the roster at that position. Director of Football Operations Milt Hendrickson discussed the importance in today’s game of being able to win quickly, given how prominent the quick passing game is.
In addition to that, Oliver’s presence could provide some alignment versatility up front. For example on an obvious passing down, Oliver at one of the defensive end spots could allow Rashan Gary or Lukas Van Ness to pass rush from inside.
“Absolutely,” said Gutekunst about both Sorrell and Oliver contributing this season. “Obviously there’s going to be a transition there, but they’re two different guys. One guy wins with a lot of power and length and hands. The other guy’s got some athleticism and speed who’s played on his feet a little bit, as well. so I think there’s some versatility there. So yeah, I think both of those guys can contribute, but again we’ll see. Those guys coming into the National Football League it’s a whole different ball game. But I think both those guys can compete.”
Then, at defensive tackle, Warren Brinson brings size and athleticism to that unit, and as Gutekunst described, he has more natural pass rush abilities. Coming from the pro-style Georgia defense, Brinson has worn a variety of hats and filled a number of roles in that scheme, allowing him to add more versatility and pass rush “juice,” as he put it, to the defensive front.
“Brinson, he’s a bigger body interior player, so it’s not so much on the edge but just adding value inside,” Matt LaFleur said. “Losing a guy like TJ Slaton, you want to replace that, and so we’re hopeful he can come in here and do some of the dirty work in that regard.”
The third piece to this pass rush puzzle is Jeff Hafley and his defensive scheme. When hired, the thought was that this was going to be a pass rush unit that relied heavily on the four-man front pinning its ears back and getting after the quarterback.
However, as the 2024 season unfolded, and the front four battled inconsistency, Hafley had to get more creative when it came to drumming up pressures. This included dialing up more blitzes and using more simulated pressures to help create one-on-one matchups or to get a free rusher.
That evolution as the season progressed showcased Hafley’s willingness to adapt and to mold the defensive scheme to what fit his defense best, and from the sounds of it, the Packers are going to continue to lean into that.
“I don’t think necessarily we want to go back to that, to be honest with you,” said LaFleur about rushing only four. “Just coming from an offensive perspective, it definitely is harder to prepare for somebody that can throw a variety of things at you. You talk about front variation.
“But I think what is absolutely critical in terms of having defensive success in this league is the style of play. I don’t know how you guys feel, but I feel like when you go and watch the tape and look at it throughout the course of the season, I think our style of play just continued to improve, and I thithink at the end of the season we were playing some really good football.”
Now, of course, this doesn’t mean that the play of the front four can remain status quo heading into 2025. Winning more often will only enhance what Hafley is drawing up, but also true, Hafley throwing different looks at offenses can help shoulder some of that pass rush burden.
“I think that flexibility is great,” Gutekunst said of the pass rushing abilities the Packers have at linebacker, “and I think the second year in Haf’s scheme too, and as he really understands what we have in our players and how he sees them, that will help as well.”
Whether or not this overarching approach to improve the Packers’ pass rush will work ultimately has to play out on the football field.
As we’ve said before, the ceiling for this Packers’ defense as a whole is going to be determined by how effective the pass rush is. When it’s working, every defender on the field benefits from that unit. But when the front isn’t getting home, the jobs of every other defender on the field become much more difficult.
“I like our versatility right now,’ Gutekunst added, “and we’ll kinda see how Haf sees it this year and how he puts those guys in position, but I’m excited about it.”