The Green Bay Packers are going to be relying on young, inexperienced players at multiple positions during the 2023 season. One of the units that will be turning to some new players is the defensive line.
The Packers have one stalwart to rely on in veteran Kenny Clark. Despite turning only 28 this upcoming October, the two-time Pro Bowler is going to be relied upon as the leader of this unit. It is a role that he is actually looking forward to fulfilling, as he remembers the veterans who were in place that showed him the way when he was just starting out his career.
The responsibility has fallen upon his shoulders after the Packers lost Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed in this year’s free agency. While the team did struggle in some regards, losing veterans of that caliber is always tough to replace.
Lowry and Reed combined to play over 1,000 snaps last season and without any veterans being signed to take their place, younger players on the roster will have the first crack at replacing them. The player many people are going to be keeping an eye on is 2022 first-round pick, Devonte Wyatt.
Wyatt played sparingly as a rookie but he could see his playing time double, if not triple, in Year 2. Holdovers T.J. Slaton, Chris Slayton and Jonathan Ford will also factor into the mix along with rookies Colby Wooden, Karl Brooks, Jason Lewan and Antonio Moultrie.
While Clark remains a star in the middle and there is some upside there, Rob Demovsky of ESPN believes this unit is going to be worse in 2023 than it was in 2022. The loss of dependable veterans in Lowry and Reed is a big reason why in Demovsky’s opinion.
“Unless 2022 first-rounder Wyatt becomes a star, the dependability of Lowry and Reed will be missed after the Packers decided not to pay them in free agency. Without a significant jump from Wyatt or someone else, this group will be one-dimensional, with Clark as the only proven player. Wyatt, the 28th pick in 2022, showed signs of his potential at the end of an otherwise unproductive rookie season. Throw in two more rookies in Wooden (Round 4) and Brooks (Round 6), and this is a much less experienced position than it was last season.”
Replacing veteran experience is not easy, especially when it is mostly first and second-year players being called upon to replace them. However, given how poorly the team performed against the run, going with a youth movement may not be the worst thing.
Green Bay was 26th in rushing yards allowed and 28th in yards per carry. Those numbers cannot get much worse, so seeing what players such as Wyatt can do in an expanded role makes sense.
While there could be some bumps in the road early on, having a veteran the caliber of Clark to lean on will certainly help. While Demovsky doesn’t foresee it happening, you never know how things will go. If the young players find their footing and develop at a good pace, the talent is there for this group to find success in 2023.