Packers Sign Ex-Lions Pass Rusher Amid Stretch of Injuries: Report

Getty Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.

The Green Bay Packers are bringing in a little more pass-rushing depth ahead of their first preseason game with injuries plaguing their defensive end room.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Packers are signing second-year defensive end Zach Morton to a one-year contract for the 2024 season, filling the spot on the 90-man roster that quarterback Jacob Eason vacated when the team released him on August 5.

Morton, 25, spent several months with the Detroit Lions last offseason after signing with them as an undrafted free agent in April 2023. The Lions initially placed him on the active/non-football injury list (NFI) with an undisclosed issue to start 2023 camp and activated him after just one day, but they ultimately waived him in early August.

Morton also had a brief stint in the UFL with the San Antonio Brahmas earlier in 2024, but he played just two games, recording three tackles (all assisted) and a half-sack.

The Packers are currently practicing without several of their pass rushers, including 2022 fifth-round pick Kingsley Enagbare (hamstring), Deslin Alexandre (lower leg) and Keshawn Banks (groin). The depth that Morton adds helps them plan for August 10’s preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns with their two projected starters — Rashan Gary and Preston Smith — unlikely to play meaningful reps in the game.

The Packers now have a full 90-man roster heading into their game against the Browns. They will kick off at Cleveland Browns Stadium at 4:25 p.m. Eastern Time on August 10.

Packers Working in Zach Tom & Tucker Kraft Slowly

The Packers are a little banged up on the edges of their defensive line as of August 6, but they have also received some positive news on the injury front in recent days.

Zach Tom, a 2022 fourth-round pick and the team’s starting right tackle, returned to team activities on August 6 after missing the early parts of camp with a pectoral injury. Tom tore his pectoral muscle in April and underwent surgery to fix the issues, but his recovery limited him to individual work to begin camp. Tuesday marked his first day back in 11-on-11 activities with his teammates, providing the Packers with a huge boost.

Packers second-year tight end Tucker Kraft also passed his physical on August 5, giving the team the green light to activate him off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list for the first time since starting camp. Like Tom, Kraft also tore his pectoral muscle while training in the offseason. He told Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated in May that the muscle “just popped off the bone” while he was completing a bench-press workout.

Now, Kraft is slowly working back into the fold in practice, but head coach Matt LaFleur said the team will remain cautious with him and Tom. As a result, neither one will play in the Packers’ preseason opener against the Browns on Saturday, August 10.

Will Lukas Van Ness Break Out for Packers in 2024?

The Packers understandably felt they needed more bodies in their pass-rushing room heading into their game against the Browns, but the signing of Morton will not change that most eyes will be focused on 2023 first-round pick Lukas Van Ness at the position.

Van Ness played in all 17 games for the Packers as a rookie and finished with five sacks and the team’s second-most tackles for loss (eight), but he held a disappointing limited role with their defense in 2023, playing more than 50% of defensive snaps just once — in their blowout playoff win over the Dallas Cowboys in the wild-card round in January.

Things should be different for Van Ness in 2024, though. While the Packers welcome back Gary and Smith as their starters, Van Ness should have a more prominent role in new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s 4-3 defense. NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks even picked the former No. 13 overall draft pick for his 2024 All-Breakout Team.

“Jeff Hafley’s arrival as the Packers’ new defensive coordinator could unlock Van Ness’ dynamic talents,” Brooks wrote on June 28. “A freakish athlete with natural pass-rush skills, the second-year pro could emerge as one of the NFC’s top edges if he takes the next step as a playmaker after finishing his rookie season with a bang.”