Edge rusher depth is an under-the-radar need for the Green Bay Packers, but a jump from Brenton Cox Jr. in his second season can alleviate that potential issue.
While at the top of the depth chart the Packers do have Preston Smith, Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness, this is a heavily rotated position with four and sometimes even five players seeing snaps each week.
Beyond those three, Kinglsey Enagbare is recovering from an ACL injury he suffered in the playoff game against Dallas. A timetable for his return his still unknown.
So, going off of last year’s roster, that would put Cox as the next player in line to potentially take those snaps. Other edge rushers on the current roster are Keshawn Banks and Arron Mosby, both of whom spent 2023 on the Packers’ practice squad.
“I feel like any player should be more ready after Year 1 going into Year 2,” said Brian Gutekunst on Monday when asked about Cox. “He had a really good training camp where he flashed a lot. And really, we stayed fairly healthy in that group most of the year, which really prevented some of those younger guys from getting on the field because we had a few of them that we were very excited about, and sometimes that’s the way it goes.”
Cox was signed following the 2023 NFL Draft as an undrafted rookie out of Florida. As Gutekunst mentioned, Cox would flash during training camp fairly often and made the initial 53-man roster as a result. The 2023 season ended up being more of a red-shirt year for Cox, as he was inactive in all but three games.
Cox would play just five total defensive snaps against New Orleans, Denver, and Detroit in Week 12. He did not total any pressures or tackles.
Cox is at his best when he can get after the quarterback. However, run defense and contributing on special teams are two areas where he will have to become more consistent if he’s going to see regular playing time.
If you recall, with Enagbare out for the NFC Divisional round against San Francisco, the Packers elevated Banks from the practice squad so he could help on special teams while Cox remained inactive.
“I think he’s got a bright future,” said Gutekunst about Cox. “He’s shown through college and his time with us that he can rush the passer. He’s got a lot of physical traits that we are looking for. I think he will be ready for his opportunity when it comes.”
In building out the edge rusher position, Gutekunst has always preferred bigger-bodied defenders. Gary is listed at 277 pounds, Van Ness at 272, Smith at 265, and Enagbare at 258.
As the Packers transition to a 4-3 defense under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, if we look at other 4-3 defenses who will operate a similar style defense as the Packers, such as the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers, they’ve shown a willingness to go smaller at the edge position.
However, as the Packers look to potentially add to their edge rusher room in the draft, while Gutekunst won’t rule anything out as there are benefits to having a lighter presence at the position, preferably, that isn’t a change he wants to make.
“I prefer bigger guys on the edge,” said Gutekunst, “but at the same time, if they have a skill-set that can work, some of those 240-250 guys, maybe it will help on special teams more than a 270 guy can.
“So I think it just depends on the player. What I don’t want to do is get small. I think we’ve seen some of these 4-3 teams, the way they play, particularly in some of the sub-packages where they may move ends inside, they can get small in a hurry, and I don’t want that to happen. Certainly, it will be something we focus on as we move forward.”
Regardless of the defensive scheme, the name of the game is getting after the quarterback. While Hafley has shown in his time at Boston College very much a willingness to blitz on third downs, he has relied fairly heavily on his defensive front to create the havoc on early downs by winning their one-on-one matchups.