The Green Bay Packers are expected to be a potential Super Bowl contender in the NFC this season. However, they will face a test early in the year.
Micah Parsons has revealed that he will be held a strict nine-month recovery rule by the Packers. He will likely return somewhere in the middle of October. Green Bay will need to figure out how to tread water defensively without him on the field.
With Parsons missing time early in the year, general manager Brian Gutekunst has been urged to target more pass rushing depth. Jadeveon Clowney is a name that has come up, as has Joey Bosa. Another name that has been mentioned is veteran defensive end Haason Reddick.
At this point in time, the Packers have Lukas Van Ness, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Brenton Cox Jr., Barryn Sorrell, and Collin Oliver to work with in Parsons’ absence. That group could work, but a proven veteran wouldn’t be bad to have.
Keeping that in mind, Green Bay has been warned against the idea of signing Reddick.
Green Bay Packers Urged to Avoid Signing Haason Reddick
FanSided’s Ernesto Cova was the one who shared the warning for the Packers.
“Reddick is already past his prime, and it’s hard to believe he can make much of an impact at this point in his career,” Cova wrote. “Spotrac projects his market value at $4.9 million per year, which is a fairly reasonable price for a veteran pass rusher, but that doesn’t mean they should want him.”
Cova believes that Green Bay already has its Parsons replacement on the roster.
“That said, they might be better off giving rookie Dani Dennis-Sutton as many reps as he can handle rather than bringing a has-been pass rusher with a big ego and a history of burning bridges. Chris McCllelan is also raw, but giving the rookies a baptism by fire might actually spice things up.”
While the Packers could bring in a veteran option, it does seem more likely that they will simply roll with the players already on their roster.
Micah Parsons Thinks Lukas Van Ness Is Ready to Step Up
Without Parsons on the field, there is a question mark as to who will step up and be the team’s primary pass rusher. Rashan Gary was traded during the NFL offseason, which gives Van Ness the first shot at replacing him during his absence.
Van Ness was originally drafted by Green Bay with the No. 13 overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. His career has not gone according to plan thus far.
In 43 games played across three years, the 24-year-old defensive end has totaled 84 tackles, 8.5 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a defended pass.
Despite the lack of big production, Parsons is high on Van Ness entering this season.
“I think by the end of this season, if Luke stays healthy, I think he’ll probably be the (fan) favorite…I definitely think I’m going to have my hands full with Luke on who’s going to be the best.”
Hopefully, Parsons is right and Van Ness can step into the No. 1 pass rusher role. The Packers simply need to keep it together until Parsons is back to full health and ready to rock and roll.
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