Ranking the Packers (No. 19): Dean Lowry

Dean Lowry failed to deliver on the higher expectations that came from a contract extension.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – In a tradition that stretches more than a decade, here is our annual ranking of the 90 players on the Green Bay Packers’ roster. This isn’t merely a look at the best players. Rather, it’s a formula that combines talent, salary, importance of the position, depth at the position and, for young players, draft positioning. More than the ranking, we hope you learn a little something about every player on the roster.

No. 19: DT Dean Lowry (6-6, 206, fifth season, Northwestern)

With money comes expectations.

The Packers showed Lowry the money just before the start of training camp last season. Along with releasing veteran standout Mike Daniels, the Packers handed Lowry a three-year contract extension through the 2022 season worth $20.325 million.

“I think it shows that I’m viewed as one of the core players of the team, and that means a lot,” Lowry said at the time. “There’s a lot of guys that can do different things with the guys we added in free agency and the draft. That’s one of our strengths as a defensive line is we can line up anywhere and attack.”

The Packers were right to part ways with Daniels, whose career has careened downhill due to injury. The jury is out on whether the Packers were right to cast their lot with Lowry.

It wasn’t as if Lowry was bad. Last season, according to Pro Football Focus, 89 interior defenders played at least 160 run-defending snaps. Lowry ranked 17th in PFF’s run-stop percentage, a metric that essentially measures impact tackles. (For instance, a first-and-10 tackle that limits the play to 3 yards is considered a run stop; a gain of 4 yards would not be a run stop.) In 2018, Lowry was 38th. He recorded eight stuffs vs. the run in 2019 compared to seven in 2018. (A stuff is a tackle at or behind the line vs. the run.) Meanwhile, 104 interior defenders rushed the passer at least 160 times. Lowry finished 69th in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity, a metric that takes into account sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snap. In 2018, Lowry was 44th. After recording seven sacks in his first three seasons, he didn’t have any in 2019. His pressure count fell from 29 in 2018 to 20 in 2019.

Throw all of that into the kettle and Lowry’s season was actually fairly decent. It seemed like a disappointment, however, in context of the contract extension, the lack of splash plays and the performance vs. San Francisco in the NFC Championship Game.

Asked about the team’s major free-agent additions late last season, quarterback Aaron Rodgers unprompted decided to talk about Lowry as being one of general manager Brian Gutekunst’s understated transactions.

“I think the signing of Dean Lowry,” Rodgers said before the Week 17 game against Detroit. “I give Dean a lot of credit. Dean came back last week after missing some practice time after tweaking his ankle on an interception, which was a great play, and he played a fantastic game. We just saw a couple of the clips in a meeting on Monday and he was a dominant force at the point of attack. He’s a guy who just goes about his business, his role and does a great job.”

Regardless of the contract – he ranks 37th among interior defensive linemen with a cap charge of $5.2 million in 2020, according to OverTheCap.com – the Packers need more out of Lowry. It’s not as if the team went out and drafted or signed anyone to challenge Lowry’s standing as the No. 2 defensive tackle alongside Kenny Clark. If the Packers’ defense is to take the next step, it will start with playing better run defense.

“I think when our guys are focused in and their initial footwork is good,” they’re capable, defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said during an offseason Zoom call. “I think that’s important that we’re all about that first step that we’ve got to have clean footwork, we can’t take a false step. Sometimes that’s hard for Dean, being as tall and long-levered as he is, a higher center of gravity. But when his technique is right, he’s certainly shown that he can do it.”

Why he’s so important: Without money to spend in free agency, Gutekunst settled on street free agent Treyvon Hester and waiver-wire addition Gerald Willis. Without a deep draft class to explore, he added only Willington Previlon as an undrafted free agent. That means it will have to be improvement from within, and that starts with the presumed starter opposite Clark.

90 TO 1 ROSTER COUNTDOWN

Part 1 (87 to 90): FB Elijah Wellman, FB Jordan Jones, G Zack Johnson, S Henry Black

Part 2 (83 to 86): CBs DaShaun Amos, Will Sunderland, Stanford Samuels, Marc-Antoine Dequoy

Part 3 (80 to 82): DT Willington Previlon, RB Damarea Crockett, S Frankie Griffin

Part 4 (77 to 79): G Simon Stepaniak, G Cole Madison, T Cody Conway

Part 5 (76): QB Jalen Morton can throw a football 100 yards

Part 6 (73 to 75) TE James Looney, TE Evan Baylis, RB Patrick Taylor

Part 7 (70 to 72) OLBs Jamal Davis, Randy Ramsey, Greg Roberts

Part 8 (67 to 69) LBs Krys Barnes, Delontae Scott, Tipa Galeai

No. 66: Well-rounded OT Travis Bruffy

No. 65: WR Malik Taylor

No. 64: WR Darrius Shepherd

No. 63: RB Dexter Williams

No. 62: DT Gerald Willis

No. 61: ILB Curtis Bolton

No. 60: CB Kabion Ento

No. 59: C Jake Hanson

No. 58: OLB Jonathan Garvin

No. 57: OT John Leglue

No. 56: DT Treyvon Hester

No. 55: WR Darrell Stewart

No. 54: WR Reggie Begelton

No. 53: S Vernon Scott

No. 52: OLB Tim Williams

No. 51: Ka’darHollman

No. 50: G/T Jon Runyan

No. 49: WR Jake Kumerow

No. 48: OT Alex Light

No. 47: TE Robert Tonyan

No. 46: LS Hunter Bradley

No. 45: DT Montravius Adams

No. 44: ILB Kamal Martin

No. 43: OT Yosh Nijman

No. 42: S Will Redmond

No. 41: G/C Lucas Patrick

No. 40: ILB Ty Summers

No. 39: WR Equanimeous St. Brown

No. 38: TE Josiah Deguara

No. 37: RB Tyler Ervin

No. 36: Lane Taylor

No. 35: RB AJ Dillon

No. 34: WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling

No. 33: DT Tyler Lancaster

No. 32: CB Josh Jackson

No. 31: WR Devin Funchess

No. 30: S Raven Greene

No. 29: TE Marcedes Lewis

No. 28: DT Kingsley Keke

No. 27: ILB Oren Burks

No. 26: P JK Scott

No. 25: QB Tim Boyle

No. 24: OLB Rashan Gary

No. 23: RB Jamaal Williams

No. 22: RG Billy Turner

No. 21: QB Jordan Love

No. 20: TE Jace Sternberger