Sportsnaut
Last year, when the Green Bay Packers sent two first-round picks plus Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark to the Dallas Cowboys for Micah Parsons, it sent a signal that they were all in. With Parsons, a three-time All-Pro pass-rusher, they believed they had the makings of a potential Super Bowl team, or at least could get there within the next few years.
Unfortunately, a wrench was thrown into their plans when Parsons tore his ACL just 14 games into his Packers career last season. Now, he’s in the midst of recovery from his knee surgery to repair the ACL, and chances are, he won’t be available at the start of the season. The Packers may even be forced to go multiple games without their defensive leader. If so, one NFL analyst believes it could spell doom.
Recently, Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport revealed what the “worst-case” scenario would be for the Packers. In doing so, he laid out a situation that he believes would put the Packers’ defense in “big trouble” this season.
The Packers’ leading sack artist last season, to no surprise, was Parsons, who recorded 12.5 sacks in 14 games. The next-best performer was Rashan Gary, but he’s since been traded to the Cowboys after a 7.5-sack season. The next-best in line was Devonte Wyatt, who tallied four sacks.
Aside from reinforcing the defensive interior, the Packers didn’t do much to supplement the pass-rush in Parsons’ absence. They drafted Dani Dennis-Sutton in the fourth round, but he’s the only noticeable addition to a group of unproven players. As a result, the Packers will be expecting more out of players like 2023 first-round pick Lukas Van Ness and 2025 fourth-round pick Barryn Sorrell. Otherwise, there could be trouble.
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