The initial flashes that we saw from Devonte Wyatt early on in training camp are now becoming much more consistent, an important development for an inexperienced Packers interior defensive line room with some unknowns around it.
Wyatt has had several reps where he shoots through the gap and is in the backfield in what feels like the blink of an eye. We are also seeing his athleticism on display with his burst at the snap and ability to pursue the quarterback and flow sideline-to-sideline with the ball carrier. These types of plays are now happening fairly regularly at this point.
Wyatt played just over 20 percent of the defensive snaps in his rookie season, buried on the depth chart behind Kenny Clark, Jarran Reed, and Dean Lowry. Most of those snaps came in the final weeks, where he was able to record five pressures and two sacks in four games. He has now carried that momentum over to Year 2, which is oftentimes when we see young players make a big jump, in part due to their comfortability and understanding of their responsibilities within the system. Wyatt certainly appears to be one of those players making that leap.
“I think that’s one of those positions that naturally takes a little bit of time, the interior D-line,” said Matt LaFleur on Monday. “Just because there are some new moves and whatnot. But I think more than anything else, the growth for him is he’s got a really good handle on what we are asking him to do. He’s certainly flashed throughout the course of practices we’ve had thus far. Expect him to continue to build upon that and get better each day.”
While Wyatt’s performance has been a big factor in the overall play of the interior defensive line unit through two-and-a-half weeks of training camp practices, the group as a whole has looked very good. Running the ball between the tackles has been difficult for the offense — there just aren’t many running lanes, or at least not ones that are open for very long. This unit has also been able to generate a consistent push overall, impacting the passing game as well.
This position group looks a lot faster than in years past. This is a product of Wyatt seeing more playing time, along with the additions of Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks, but TJ Slaton recently said that a point of emphasis for the interior defensive line with run game coordinator Jerry Montgomery has been their get-off at the snap.
Where Wyatt has really shined so far has been as a pass rusher, but it’s going to be important that he, along with everyone else within that position group, are able to hold up against the run. This is where success for the Packers’ defense begins. If they keep opposing offenses behind the sticks, it allows the pass rush to get after the quarterback and the secondary to play more aggressively. However, if opponents are picking up five or six yards a carry — which often happened in 2022 — it opens up the playbook for the offense and keeps the defense guessing and on its heels.
“He finished the season off really good,” said Kenny Clark about Wyatt during offseason programs. “That Lions’ game, he balled out, for sure, against a really good offensive line. He’s always going to be a great pass rusher as long as he keeps on developing. The biggest thing is he has to learn the technique with the run. That’s what myself, coach are trying to push each other to do. Just helping him learn the technique of how we play the run and the mentality you need to have as a three-down player.”
Brian Gutekunst recently said that Wyatt, along with Clark and TJ Slaton, are going to be the anchors of this defensive front. When the Packers are in their base 3-4 defense, it has been those three on the field. When in nickel, and there are only two interior defenders on the field, it has largely been Clark and Slaton on early downs or Clark and Wyatt in passing situations.
Like many young players, it’s about consistency from Wyatt and now carrying that established momentum into the preseason and eventually the regular season, where he is going to play a key role, not only in the performance of the interior defensive line but how that group holds up will have a major impact on the overall performance on the entire defensive unit.
“He’s way ahead of a year ago,” said Slaton of Wyatt. “I feel like his hands are better. His get off is way faster and I feel like the game has really slowed down for him. He’s seeing things almost in slow motion.
“We just want to keep praising him to keep going because we need him to be big for us.”