From Blue Chip to Easily Upgraded, Ranking Packers’ Defense By Tiers

The Green Bay Packers are looking to build their roster back to championship contention status. In order to do that, they'll need to identify their core players and building blocks. Here is the look at the team's roster from our view.

GREEN BAY, Wis. - The days of low expectations were short-lived for the Green Bay Packers. It's back to Super Bowl or bust in Titletown.

For all the good things that happened last season, the reality is they were still 9-8 and earned a playoff seed that did not exist until 2021.

The question general manager Brian Gutekunst and coach Matt LaFleur will have to answer is do they more closely resemble the team that blew the doors off the Dallas Cowboys and nearly beat the 49ers, or are they the team that lost to Tommy DeVito and the Giants?

Recently, NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks and Daniel Jeremiah did an exercise on their Move the Sticks podcast that split players into four categories.

Blue chip: One of the best players in the league at their position.

Building Block: Someone who isn't quite elite, but a good player, or too young to make that determination.

Backup: Could start in a pinch, but better suited as a reserve.

Easily Upgraded: Someone whom the team should be searching to replace.

One of the biggest perils in roster building is misevaluating players on their roster.

Sometimes, that means underestimating the impact of a player like Casey Hayward or overestimating the development of a player like Damarious Randall.

Both evaluations proved to be missteps for the Packers and set them back in their secondary.

Those evaluations will lead to how the Packers look to improve their roster with a common goal of adding competition to the team.

"We have a really good nucleus of players coming back," Gutekunst said.

"We need to fill each room with enough competition that those guys feel that and can grow like our offense did this past year. That will be on us to do that. But I do think we're in good hands right now."

Using those tiers, here is a look at Green Bay's defensive roster.

EDGE

Rashan Gary

Gary just missed the mark of being called a blue-chip player.

Yes, there is more to being an elite player than sacking the quarterback, but Gary is at a position with some elite company.

Gary is very good, does anyone think he belongs in the same class as someone like TJ Watt or Myles Garrett? 

The answer should be no. 

If every good player is called a blue-chip, then there are no blue-chip players.

That being said, Gary is one of the best players on the team. He had 60 pressures and 9.5 sacks in 2023, despite being used on a pitch count early in the season.

That being said, Gary did not have a full sack after his monster three-sack performance against the Detroit Lions. 

Sacks are not the only measure of success. Gutekunst says all the time that he wants to see his pass rushers affect the passer.

Gary certainly does that, but the best of the best do that and bring the quarterback to the ground, too.

For that reason, Gary just misses the cut of being called a blue-chip player.  

Verdict: Building Block

Preston Smith

Preston Smith's name gets floated every year as a potential cap casualty. 

All he does after that is put up steady production and provide a presence as one of the team's primary leaders.

Players in the NFL rarely agree to have their pay slashed, but Smith has agreed to two pay cuts to stay in Green Bay. 

Smith will be back in Green Bay again in 2024 after agreeing to his second contract revision.

While Gary may have struggled down the stretch, Smith was playing his best football of the year when the season ended.

One thing is certain. In Gutekunst's big 2019 shopping spree that saw him bring Za'Darius Smith, Adrian Amos, and BIlly Turner in alongside Preston Smith - it's the other Smith that has stood the test of time, becoming Gutekunst's top free agent signing. 

Verdict: Building Block

Kingsley Enagbare

Enagbare had some nice moments as a rotational edge rusher during his 2023 season. 

Unfortunately, his season ended with a significant knee injury that will likely cause him to miss some time in 2024 as well.

Enagbare finished the year with 24 pressures but was too often exposed in the run game. 

He can do some nice things as a pass rusher and played 279 special teams snaps under Rich Bisaccia, but he's likely best suited as a backup. 

Verdict: Backup

Lukas Van Ness

Van Ness came into the 2023 season with high hopes as the 13th overall pick who felt like someone Brian Gutekunst targeted in his up in the first round as a result of the trade of Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets. 

Van Ness started fast in his first game, sacking Justin Fields in the red zone, which helped force the Bears to kick a field goal.

After that, Van Ness was quiet, until he finished his season with a bang. 

11 of his 18 pressures in the regular season came in the final seven games of the year. That included three of his four sacks on the season. 

“When you say improvement,” said outside linebackers coach Jason Rebrovich, 

“to me, there’s a few stages of that. When you’re doing improvement, there’s a pre-snap process. The thing about transitioning from college, defensive linemen, outside linebackers, when they look to the sideline right now in college football, it’s a picture, and it’s telling you what to do. There is no pre-snap process. They don’t know if it’s a near-gun set, or far-gun. They don’t know who the tackle set is. They don’t even know how to line up half the time."

Van Ness knows how to line up now, and his strong finish to the season is something he'll hope to parlay into a strong sophomore campaign in 2024. 

Verdict: Building Block

This is one hell of a rip move to defeat a double team from Packers EDGE Lukas Van Ness. pic.twitter.com/DHSb2wWeuZ

— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) September 22, 2023

Brenton Cox

Cox was an intriguing undrafted free agent that the Packers kept on the roster all season, but he never played.

Cox played a total of five snaps in his rookie season. 2023 was a true redshirt season for the former Florida Gator. 

His spot on the roster certainly is not safe going into 2024. With Kingsley Enagbare likely to miss time with an ACL injury he suffered in the team's 48-32 win over the Dallas Cowboys, the Packers will be looking for reinforcements on the edge. 

Cox will need to have another strong training camp.

Verdict: Easily upgraded

Defensive Tackle

Kenny Clark

There might have been a stretch where Kenny Clark would have been listed as a blue-chip player, but those days look to be behind him at this point.

Clark is not a bad player. He has not even declined significantly. A blue-chip defensive tackle, however, is someone like Los Angeles' Aaron Donald.

Clark has done some good things in his career, but that's not a class he belongs in.

He's still one of Green Bay's premier players and looks to be a candidate to get a rare third contract from the Packers' front office this offseason. 

Perhaps Clark will find his peak form once again as he's likely one of the players Jeff Hafley will build his defensive scheme around.

By that very definition, he's a building block of the Packers' defense. 

Verdict: Building Block

Devonte Wyatt

Wyatt might be the most controversial player on Green Bay's defense.

His pressure numbers are good. He had 48 pressures during the regular season, and at times looked like the game wrecker Brian Gutekunst envisioned when he fired a first-round pick on the former Georgia Bulldog. 

He racked up 5.5 sacks in his first season as a full-time player.

Wyatt's inconsistency, however, rears its ugly head at times. 

He had 15 missed tackles and a missed tackle percentage of 30 according to PFF. 

He needs to improve significantly in the run game and finish plays.

If he does that, he has the possibility of cementing himself as a blue-chip player.

Consistency, however, has been fleeting for Wyatt. 2024 is a pivotal season for Wyatt. 

Verdict: Building Block

Karl Brooks

Brooks was one of the pleasant surprises of the 2023 season. Brian Gutekunst clearly liked Brooks enough to use a draft choice on him, but it's unlikely he expected the sort of impact that Brooks had as a rookie.

There were arguments to be made during the season he was the team's second-best defensive lineman behind Kenny Clark.

He'll enter the 2024 season with his spot on the team firmly cemented, and likely the first interior lineman off the bench when Jeff Hafley rotates his defensive linemen. 

Verdict: Building Block

Colby Wooden

Wooden blocked a field goal in the Packers' 24-21 season-ending loss to the San Francisco 49ers in what was an otherwise forgettable rookie season for the former fourth-round pick.

Wooden is now in an interesting spot as the Packers transition to a 4-3 base defense. Wooden has the size to play a traditional defensive end, but spent all of his time inside in 2023. 

What will the Packers do with him?

If they add a defensive lineman in the draft, there's no guarantee that Wooden is a lock to make the team. 

Verdict: Backup

TJ Slaton

Slaton is in an interesting spot in the modern NFL.

He's a solid run defender. He led the defensive line with 35 run stops in 2023.

His impact as a pass rusher, however, was limited. 

His 15 hurries were the second-least on the team, and only ahead of Colby Wooden. Where does Slaton fit in the modern NFL as a primary run defender? He certainly has value. 

The Packers' run defense is abysmal with him, which leads you to wonder where they'd be without him. 

His ability in the run game means he's not easily upgraded, but he's also unlikely to be someone the Packers prioritize when he hits free agency a year from now. 

Verdict: Backup

Inside Linebacker

Quay Walker

Maybe this is a tough grade because Walker is clearly someone the Packers are targeting as a key member of their defense as they undergo changes on the coaching staff. 

Walker has had flashes of brilliance. His pick-six to open the season against the Chicago Bears led to optimism that his second year would be a strong one.

Instead, Walker battled some inconsistencies throughout the season.

His athleticism is not always apparent on the field. When it flashes, he looks like a great player. 

When he gets caught thinking, he's a step slow. 

“Quay’s a talented player,” said Jeff Hafley at his initial media availability. 

“As we build this thing, we’re going to make sure he’s in position to make a lot of plays. So, whatever we feel, as we piece this together, where that is, that’s where we’ll put him.”

That sounds like a player the defensive staff is excited about. 

Someone they want in a position to make a lot of plays.

The key for Walker is going to be to make them. Until then, he cannot be graded as someone to build the defense around. 

Verdict: Backup

Quay Walker intercepts Justin Fields :: Photo by Dan Powers/USA Today Sports Images

De'Vondre Campbell

Campbell is a tough one to place because his name recognition alone is going to make him a starter on most teams.

That being said, he's aging and could be a salary cap casualty after two subpar seasons following his 2021 season that earned him All-Pro honors. 

Even if Campbell is in Green Bay for 2024, he was rotating in and out of the lineup by the end of the 2023 season.

Whether that's because of age or injuries does not matter at this point. The Packers need more from their linebackers, and Campbell has looked like a player who is losing his battle to someone that is undefeated, Father Time. 

Verdict: Backup

Isaiah McDuffie

Isaiah McDuffie is going to have a big role for the Packers in 2024, and it may not even result in him being on the field more often.

McDuffie has played for new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. 

While Hafley won't bring the exact same defense he had at Boston College to Green Bay, McDuffie can help his teammates learn about how Hafley communicates and how he wants certain things done. 

McDuffie was rotating with De'Vondre Campbell by the end of last season, and could be in line to start if the Packers move on from Campbell this offseason.

That will mean more opportunities to make plays for the fourth-year linebacker.

“The years previous, I didn’t really play in the box that much,” McDuffie told Packer Central in February. 

“I was kind of on the line of scrimmage. That year, I got a chance to really be an off-the-ball, inside-the-box inside linebacker. It was my first time really doing it, so it was kind of a learning curve but, at the same time, I felt like they coached me up to a point where I got really comfortable after camp and everything. So, things were just kind of rolling, and I got a lot of opportunities to make plays."

Verdict: Backup

Eric Wilson

Wilson was set to be one of the heroes of a playoff game if the Packers had held on to beat the San Francisco 49ers in January.

Instead, his brilliance on special teams as he recovered Keisean Nixon's fumble was merely a footnote. 

Wilson has played sparingly as a linebacker since he got to Green Bay, but has been one of the team's best players on special teams.

He's a core special teamer, but not someone a team wants to be used all that often on defense.

That makes him a backup.

Verdict: Backup

Kristian Welch was also on the team last year as a primary special teams player. He would fall under someone that is easily upgraded at the back end of the roster. 

Cornerback

Jaire Alexander

Alexander is coming off an odd season that saw him suffer through injuries and a suspension that was preceded by some bizarre behavior.

The Packers and Alexander have insisted they have moved on from that situation, and Alexander is set to be a cornerstone for years to come.

The positive for Alexander is that when he is on the field, he is one of the league's best at cornerback. His last two healthy seasons have resulted in him earning All-Pro honors. 

The passer rating against him according to PFF was 66.1 in 2022 and 54.3 in 2020.

Alexander is one of the best players at his position and earned every bit of the 4-year $84 million extension he signed in May of 2023. 

The key for Alexander moving forward is staying on the field because when he is on the field, he's the best player on Green Bay's defense. 

Verdict: Blue Chip

Jaire Alexander and Rudy Ford vs. the Cowboys in 2022 :: Photo by Mike De Sisti/USA Today Sports Images

Eric Stokes

Stokes gets his own category for this exercise because his career at this point is a complete toss up.

Stokes had a really good rookie season before struggling in his sophomore campaign.

His career changed on one fateful day in Detroit where he suffered a horrific leg injury that caused him to miss the rest of his second season.

His third season was marred by injuries as he tried to recover from the leg injury, and hurt his hamstring twice. 

He spent the first half of the season on the PUP list before landing on injured reserve twice.

Stokes still has plenty of talent, but he has to show he still has the speed and ability that caused Brian Gutekunst to spend a first-round pick on him. 

Anything the Packers get from him has to be considered a bonus, but it'd be unwise to go into 2023 relying on him

Verdict: Unknown

Carrington Valentine

Valentine likely did not expect to be a starter when his rookie season began, but he quickly put himself in any conversation that the Packers were having.

Valentine was the star of training camp, he made what felt like one play every single day, but was relegated to spot duty when the regular season started.

He sat behind Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas. 

Valentine's opportunities would come quickly. 

After sitting the first two games of the regular season, he became a starter for the team's third game of the season against New Orleans.

He appeared to get benched during the team's 34-20 loss to the Detroit Lions four days later but never gave up a starting role again.

That was partially due to the trade of Rasul Douglas, and partially due to Valentine's play.

He finished the regular season with a passer rating against him of 80.2 and only gave up one touchdown all season. 

Valentine could end up being something more than a backup, but needs to prove his meddle now that teams know who he is. They'll also have a full offseason to study his flaws. 

Verdict: Backup

Keisean Nixon

Nixon is an excellent kickoff returner. He's led the league in yards-per-return each of the last two seasons and was selected as the First-Team All-Pro player at that position.

Nixon had some nice moments as the team's primary nickel corner, but also had moments where he really struggled.

He's set to be a free agent after signing a 1-year deal prior to free agency in 2023 and could have opportunities elsewhere to play on defense.

With the Packers looking to get better on defense, specifically in the middle of the field, it's unclear how Nixon will fit in under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. 

Nixon is likely better suited in spot duty, where he thrived as a defensive back in 2022. 

Verdict: Backup

Corey Ballentine 

Ballentine is a free agent that has bounced around the league. He's done well on special teams. He is someone that can be brought back cheap, or easily upgraded from. 

Safety

Anthony Johnson Jr. 

Johnson Jr. is the last man standing of any players who played snaps of significance on defense a year ago. 

He was a former seventh-round pick who had some nice moments in training camp and hauled in one interception against the Los Angeles Rams in early November. 

Overall, Johnson Jr. is someone who can probably play a reserve role, but the team probably would want to do better if he were a starter. 

Verdict: Backup

Free Agent Safeties

Darnell Savage had some nice moments during his time in Green Bay, but never really grew from his strong stretch to close out the 2020 season. 

He is a backup who will likely go down as a disappointment as a first-round draft pick. According to ESPN, he's set to get a nice deal in free agency, it's unclear if that will come from the Packers. 

Rudy Ford, and Jonathan Owens all fall under the backups category. Both of them did some nice things in sporadic playing time, but the Packers should aim higher if the goal is to build a championship defense. 

Benny Sapp III and Zayne Anderson both played special teams primarily. They're under contract, but could be upgraded from as back end of the roster players. 

Another Pro Bowl Safety Hits Free-Agent Market