The Green Bay Packers are entering the 2023 season with one of the youngest rosters in the league. There are only three players who are even in their 30s, as the team will be relying on youth and inexperience at numerous spots in the lineup.
One of those spots is in the trenches along the defensive line. The Packers saw veterans Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed both depart in free agency, opening up more than 1,000 snaps. This is something that general manager Brian Gutekunst has been preparing for, as the team has players ready to step up.
2022 first-round pick Devonte Wyatt will be taking over a prominent role alongside Kenny Clark. TJ Slaton will see more playing time as well. 2023 fourth and sixth-round picks, Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks, performed well enough in the offseason to receive rotational looks as well.
This group surprised a lot of people with their performance in training camp and the preseason games. The level of concern has certainly dropped, but it wouldn’t hurt to have some reinforcements on the roster.
That is partly why Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report has suggested that free agent Matt Ioannidis is the best option remaining for the Packers. The veteran defensive lineman would help replace the experience that left when Lowry and Reed exited. He would also take pressure off of Wooden and Brooks if it turns out they aren’t as ready for an extended role as it seemed.
Last season with the Carolina Panthers, Ioannidis played in and started 13 games, recording one sack with five tackles for loss and nine quarterback hits. He has some pass-rushing ability, something no team ever has enough of.
With experience playing a number of roles along the defensive line, Ioannidis would be a good insurance policy for the Packers to add. He can be a space-eater in the run game, something the Packers struggled with last season, or help collapse the pocket as a pass rusher.
