Consistent pressure from Packers DL Devonte Wyatt turning into sacks

Devonte Wyatt is turning pressure into sacks down the stretch for the Packers in 2023.

Green Bay Packers second-year interior defender Devonte Wyatt has been around the quarterback all season, but in the last few weeks, the pressure is turning into sack production.

Perhaps in somewhat of an under-the-radar season, Wyatt finished with 45 pressures, which is tied for the 19th most out of all interior defenders across the NFL. And he did this while playing under 50 percent of the Packers’ total defensive snaps this season.

To be that productive when part of a heavily rotated position requires the player to win their matchups consistently, something Wyatt did. According to PFF, Wyatt had a pass rush win rate of 15.4 percent, good for the sixth-best mark among his position group.

“I think it’s a testament to the kid,” said defensive coordinator Joe Barry on Thursday. “I talk about it all the time, just guys improving from Year 1 to Year 2. Daily improvement. He shows up every day, grinds, and works. It’s paid off for him with the numbers.”

However, despite frequently being around the quarterback, those pressures weren’t turning into sacks for Wyatt for a large portion of the season.

Through Week 14, Wyatt registered just three sacks, with 1.5 of them coming in the first game of the season against Chicago. Whether he was unable to bring the quarterback down or just a split second late, those high-pressure numbers weren’t being converted into sacks.

While sacks may be the ultimate goal for any pass rusher, pressures are incredibly valuable. In fact, within the Packers’ building, they measure pass rush success off of that aspect instead of sacks.

Pressure leads to disruption. It can force the quarterback to hurry, disrupt the timing and rhythm of the play, and get the passer off his spot. All this can then lead to mistakes.

But in the last two games, water has begun to find its level, as they say, for Wyatt. When a player is around the quarterback as consistently as Wyatt has been this season, eventually, the sacks will come. In the last two weeks, Wyatt has totaled 2.5 sacks–nearly matching his season total coming into those games.

“I think D-Wy finished with 5.5 (sacks), if I’m not mistaken,” added Barry. “I hate when coaches say he could have had three or four sacks, but when you look at it, D-Wy missed a legitimate five sacks this year. He was very close to having a 10-sack year. It was great to see the way he finished.”

Although there were two rookies on the Packers’ interior defensive line seeing significant playing time in 2023, Wyatt, in Year 2, was still going through a learning curve as a young player, especially when you consider that he played only 21 percent of the defensive snaps as a rookie. Being able to finish the play was likely a part of that.

We often hear about the Year 2 leap for second-year players, and Wyatt very much made that jump as a pass rusher. He has been a steady disruptor this season.

Right now, the interior defensive line unit as a whole is playing its best football of the season. Over the last month against the run, the Packers are allowing fewer than 4.0 yards per carry, while in the last two games in particular, they’ve done a great job generating push up the middle, contributing to higher quarterback pressure numbers as a team.

When the defensive front can control the line of scrimmage, the defense has a good chance of controlling the game.

“I just think guys are getting better,” said Kenny Clark after the win over Chicago. “We got two rookies, TJ’s in this third, D-Wy in his second year. All young guys that are going to continue to get better and they’ve been getting better each and every week.

“You got these guys that got a hell of an ability. TJ can stop the run with the best of them. D-Wy (Devonte Wyatt), Colby (Wooden), and KB (Karl Brooks), those guys can rush and rush they asses off and explosive in the run game and be disruptive. You’ve got a good combination of guys and when you put that work in the only thing you can do is get better.”

Packers DL Devonte Wyatt carted back to locker room with knee injury

Packers DL Devonte Wyatt was carted back to the locker room after sustaining a knee injury on Sunday in Denver.

Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt needed to be carted back to the locker room for further evaluation after injuring his right knee in the second quarter of Sunday’s matchup with the Denver Broncos.

Wyatt is currently questionable to return. The 2022 first-round pick battled a knee injury at practice this week and was questionable to play on Sunday.

It’s possible the Packers will rule out Wyatt for the rest of the contest after evaluating the knee injury.

Update: The Packers ruled out Wyatt to start the second half.

Wyatt was injured on a third-down play. He walked off the field and was evaluated in the medical tent before getting on a cart to leave the field.

The second-year defensive lineman came into Sunday ranked second on the Packers defense in total pressures with 17. His departure will mean more snaps for rookies Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks next to Kenny Clark and TJ Slaton.

Packers film room: Reviewing Devonte Wyatt’s encouraging Week 1 performance

Highlighting several of the most impressive plays from Devonte Wyatt’s encouraging season opener against the Bears.

Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt was one of the most dominant players on the field during the team’s Week 1 win over the Chicago Bears. Wyatt logged a team-high six pressures and totaled three tackles, two tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks.

Sunday’s performance was precisely what the Packers had in mind when they drafted him in the first round of last year’s draft. As a rookie, Wyatt had a limited role on defense but has experienced a ton of improvement over the past year. He appeared to be a much more polished and confident player in the season opener and could be the perfect complement to Pro Bowler Kenny Clark.

However, despite coming off his most impactful game as a pro, Wyatt still wants to see what he can improve upon. The best way to do that, he says, is to watch the film.

“Watch the tape, see what you did, and see what you can get better at because you always have room for improvement,” Wyatt said. “That’s my goal. Just watch this film and see what I can improve at because I’ll say I started off kind of slow for me, but I want to watch film so I can start off fast and not have a slow start.”

Coincidentally, we are also going to review Wyatt’s tape from the Bears game to break down what went into his impressive pass-rushing performance.

Let’s begin.

This first play perfectly encapsulates Wyatt as your prototypical three-tech. When he puts it all together, he has the necessary explosiveness, play strength, and technique to quickly beat the man across from him. After a good initial punch, Wyatt uses a jerk move into a club arm-over to gain a clear path to the quarterback. Unfortunately, Justin Fields is one of the best running quarterbacks in the league, so Wyatt can’t get the sack, but it was still a great rep.

Another near-sack for Wyatt, but on a different type of rush. Green Bay used a ton of stunts to generate pressure against Fields and this was one of them. Here, we see Wyatt as the penetrator using speed and effective hand usage to get around the edge. Even though Wyatt doesn’t quite get to Fields, he does his job to force an inaccurate throw that falls incomplete.

The game is slowing down for Wyatt and his knowledge of opposing schemes is also improving. He might be unblocked on this play, but it is still an excellent read to not fall for the play-action. Wyatt never takes his eyes off the ball and shows good closing speed to get there before Fields can finish carrying out the fake. Well done.

The Packers run a three-man stunt, but Wyatt doesn’t have a clear path to the quarterback as the looper. Meanwhile, Fields can’t find an open receiver and decides to run. Wyatt shows good awareness and effort to get back into the play and help with the tackle. However, he takes it a step further and helps turn this into a turnover for the defense. You can see Wyatt’s right hand help punch the ball out for a fumble that Green Bay recovers. Clark was officially credited with the forced fumble, but Wyatt had a hand in it as well.

Bonus Clip

Wyatt wasn’t just disruptive as a pass rusher against the Bears. He also flashed as a run defender in this rep of him knocking the right guard back into the path of the ball carrier for a stop in the backfield. If Wyatt can also become a force in the run game, he will be on his way to becoming one of the defense’s better all-around players.

Conclusion

Throughout training camp, there was talk of Wyatt making a second-year jump and we saw it come to fruition in Week 1. Wyatt showed why he was a first-round pick with his strength and explosiveness while topping it off with good technique. These traits could turn him into not just a productive pass rusher for Green Bay’s defense but potentially a dominant one. Wyatt still needs to keep working on his craft and prove he can do it consistently, but there is reason to be excited about his future after this performance.

Packers DL Devonte Wyatt was super disruptive in Week 1 win over Bears

The Packers need a big second-year jump from Devonte Wyatt. So far so good after one week. Wyatt was a big-time disruptor vs. the Bears.

The Green Bay Packers came into the season needing a second-year jump out of defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt. It’s safe to say the 2022 first-round pick is off to a good start following a super disruptive performance in the team’s Week 1 win over the Chicago Bears.

According to Pro Football Focus, Wyatt led all Packers with six quarterback pressures. He also recorded three tackles, two tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks. One of his sacks resulted in an 11-yard loss for the Bears, while the other half-sack — with some help from Kenny Clark– caused Justin Fields to fumble into Green Bay’s possession.

“It felt good,” Wyatt said in the locker room afterward. “That was the whole plan to disrupt them and don’t let Fields get comfortable. Keep him in the pocket, make him be a quarterback and don’t let him use his feet.”

Sunday’s game was precisely what the Packers had in mind when they thrust Wyatt into a starting role this offseason. They knew they would have to count on him during the regular season, and by the time training camp rolled around, it was clear he was a different player.

“He’s way ahead of a year ago,” fellow defensive lineman T.J. Slaton said of Wyatt during camp. “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.

All of Slaton’s remarks about Wyatt came to be true in the season opener. His hands and feet appeared to be sharper than they were a year ago and his processing skills were improved. Wyatt won multiple reps where it felt like he was in the backfield almost instantly. Also, on the 11-yard sack, he made a great read to not fall for the play-action and was there before Fields could even finish carrying out the fake.

The Packers have one of the best young pass-rushing units in the NFL this year and Wyatt is set to be at the forefront in 2023. Next, he has to start doing it consistently, but it’s encouraging to know he is already trying to improve upon what he did in Chicago.

“Watch the tape, see what you did, and see what you can get better at because you always have room for improvement,” said Wyatt. “That’s my goal. Just watch this film and see what I can improve at because I’ll say I started off kind of slow for me, but I want to watch film so I can start off fast and not have a slow start.”

Flashes turning to consistency for Packers interior DL Devonte Wyatt

Packers DL Devonte Wyatt keeps showing signs of the second-year leap.

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.”

Packers DL Devonte Wyatt already showing signs of second-year jump

The Packers are only six practices into training camp, but 2022 first-round pick Devonte Wyatt is showing encouraging signs of development.

We’re only six days into Green Bay Packers training camp, but defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt has already started to look like a player ready for his second-year jump. Wyatt turned in another impressive performance on Tuesday, starting with one-on-ones.

Wyatt’s play strength was on full display in matchups against Josh Myers and Jean Delance, where both players ended up on their butts. His goal wasn’t necessarily to embarrass his teammates, but he wanted to send a message.

“Just trying to prove my point,” Wyatt said of the two reps. “Just letting them know I’m here this year, and I’m not here to play. I got a point to prove.”

Wyatt is a potential breakout candidate for Green Bay now that he has assumed a starting spot. Despite being a first-round pick in 2022, Wyatt had a limited role on defense. It could have been very easy to get frustrated, except he went through a similar experience upon arriving at Georgia.

“Basically, I was being patient,” he said of his first season. “I wasn’t frustrated because the same thing happened my freshman year, and it just takes time learning the playbook and getting comfortable with the scheme.”

That patience paid off for Wyatt, who averaged only about 10 snaps per game until starter Dean Lowry exited Week 16 with a calf injury. Wyatt took over for the final two and a half games, showing his progress and recording his first career sack in the season finale.

He has taken that momentum and brought it with him it to Year 2, using the offseason to focus on his conditioning while burying his head into the playbook. As a result, Wyatt is playing much faster than he was this time a year ago.

Doing it in practice is one thing, but the Packers needs to be able to count on Wyatt during the regular season. He hopes to continue his ascension past the first week of training camp.

“It feels good, but you got to keep stacking days every week and bring it to the season.”

Why Devonte Wyatt is Packers Wire’s pick for breakout player of 2023

First-round talent plus starting opportunity equals big-time breakout potential for Packers DL Devonte Wyatt in 2023.

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Christian Watson broke out as a burgeoning star for the Green Bay Packers in 2022. What were the main ingredients of his breakout? Incredible physical talent, and a big opportunity at his position.

Using the same pathway, second-year defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt was Packers Wire’s pick for breakout player of the 2023 season.

Wyatt, a first-round pick in 2022, played sparingly as a rookie but did flash disruptive abilities to finish the year, especially during the Packers’ season finale against the Detroit Lions.

The talent is there. Wyatt is an elite athlete with terrific burst, high energy levels and a long history of disruptive production from an interior defensive line position. Not many 300-pounders can move the way he moves, especially in terms of change-of-direction ability. Plus, he was a terrific run defender and a top interior pass-rusher at Georgia, so there’s reason to believe the same traits and abilities will eventually translate into production at the NFL level.

“With anybody up front, you want playmakers,” defensive coordinator Joe Barry said in May. “But specifically for defensive linemen, a three-technique, you want disruption…Just to be an all-around disruptive player. He has that ability, he has that quickness, he has that athleticism. Just be a disruptive force in the passing game and the run game as well.”

And Wyatt’s opportunity on the field as a second-year player in 2023 will be huge.

Gone are Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed, who combined to play over 1,000 total snaps along the defensive line last season. Wyatt, an expected starter next to Kenny Clark, will assume many of the available snaps. The Packers need him to be a consistent run defender on early downs and a go-to pass-rusher from the inside for Barry’s defense, which is under huge pressure to improve.

The breakout addition is easy for Wyatt: First-round talent plus starting opportunity. The Packers will hope the variables add up to a big season from an important player.

Pair of Georgia Bulldogs named to all-NFL breakout team

Nakobe Dean and another former Georgia defender have made the 2023 all-NFL breakout team

Former Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean is expected to take over the starting middle linebacker role for the Philadelphia Eagles. The NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks is excited about how Dean will perform.

In fact, Brooks puts Dean on his all-NFL defensive breakout team. Dean is expected to call defensive plays for the defending NFC champions.

Bucky Brooks details why Nakobe Dean will breakout:

The Eagles’ new green-dot defender could make his mark immediately as a first-time starter. The second-year pro was regarded as a high-IQ defender with excellent communication and playmaking skills at Georgia, but the league did not get a real chance to see him in action last season, as he served an apprenticeship behind veteran LBs Kyzir White and T.J. Edwards. After the free-agent departures of White and Edwards, Dean has assumed signal-calling duties. The undersized linebacker will get a chance to show out as a tackling machine playing behind a monstrous group of defensive tackles (including fellow Georgia products Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter) that will allow him to flow freely to the ball.

Nakobe Dean has a much easier path to playing time this year. He recorded just 13 total tackles as a rookie, but proved to be a great tackler in college. Dean’s experience in Philadelphia’s defensive system will help him have an easier transition to a starting role.

Philadelphia has a ton of Georgia Bulldogs and is expected to be a Super Bowl contender again in 2023.

Bucky Brooks is also expecting a breakout season from former Georgia Bulldog defender Devonte Wyatt.

Green Bay’s transformation from an offense-centric squad to a team sparked by its defense could hinge on Wyatt’s development as an interior disruptor. After contributing in Year 1 as a rotational player behind Jarran Reed and Dean Lowry, the 6-foot-3, 304-pounder should make his mark as a sturdy run stopper with pass-rushing skills. After posting eight pressures, five quarterback hurries and 1.5 sacks in a backup role, Wyatt could double or triple those numbers as a full-time starter at defensive tackle.

The Packers drafted Devonte Wyatt in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft due to his combination of run-stopping ability and pass-rushing ability. Wyatt had a relatively quiet rookie season, but should be in for a larger role in his second year in the NFL.

Devonte Wyatt and Green Bay are entering into a new era after Aaron Rodgers moved to the New York Jets this offseason. The Packers will rely on a strong running game and sound defense to win games in 2023.

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Packers hoping former Georgia DT Devonte Wyatt makes big jump in 2023

Packers DC discusses Devonte Wyatt

The Green Bay Packers selected former Georgia defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt with the 28th pick in the 2022 NFL draft.

In his rookie season, Wyatt recorded 224 defensive snaps. Data produced by PFF notes that he registered eight pressures (one sack) and five stops over 113 run-defense snaps and 111 pass-defense snaps.

This season, Wyatt projects to start on the Green Bay defensive line thanks to the departure of two starters from last season.

Defensive coordinator Joe Barry is expecting big things from Wyatt in his second season:

“With anybody up front, you want playmakers,” Barry said Tuesday. “But specifically for defensive linemen, a three-technique, you want disruption…Just to be an all-around disruptive player. He has that ability, he has that quickness, he has that athleticism. Just be a disruptive force in the passing game and the run game as well.”

Wyatt, a Decatur, Georgia, native, was a force on the inside of a historic defense 2021 UGA defense. He finished with 39 stops, 2.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss and 27 pressures during Georgia’s 2021 national title-winning team.

Packers want Devonte Wyatt to be ‘all-around disruptive player’ in 2023

Joe Barry on what he wants from Devonte Wyatt: “Just to be an all-around disruptive player. He has that ability, he has that quickness, he has that athleticism.”

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The Green Bay Packers are expecting 2022 first-round pick Devonte Wyatt to make a big jump in Year 2 and become one of the defensive front’s top playmakers and disruptors in 2023.

“With anybody up front, you want playmakers,” defensive coordinator Joe Barry said Tuesday. “But specifically for defensive linemen, a three-technique, you want disruption…Just to be an all-around disruptive player. He has that ability, he has that quickness, he has that athleticism. Just be a disruptive force in the passing game and the run game as well.”

Wyatt, the 28th overall pick, played only 224 defensive snaps as a rookie. According to PFF, he produced eight pressures (one sack) and five stops over 113 run-defense snaps and 111 pass-defense snaps. The counting stats were limited because opportunities were limited, especially early in the season. Wyatt played 92 of his 224 snaps over the final three games of 2022.

With Jarran Reed in Seattle and Dean Lowry in Minnesota, Wyatt has an opportunity to be a full-time player in 2023. And the Packers need him to be productive; Reed and Lowry combined for 50 pressures and 46 stops last season.

Is a big leap possible?

Barry said all rookies go through the college-to-NFL transition differently, but Wyatt finished his rookie season strong and has since been in the building every day for the offseason workout program.

“He’s in great shape,” Barry said.

Wyatt, who has a 1.66-second 10-yard split at 304 pounds, has the athletic profile of a prolific interior disruptor. And over his last three seasons at Georgia, Wyatt was a consistent producer, creating 63 pressure and 37 stops while playing a little under 1,000 snaps for one of college football’s best defenses.

Now, the Packers need Wyatt to turn his athleticism and penetrating ability into disruption and production at the NFL level. Barry’s defense is light on options along the defensive line behind Kenny Clark, especially in terms of experience. For line of scrimmage players, affecting the quarterback remains the name of the game.

Opportunity won’t be an issue this season. Barring an injury, Wyatt could play 500 or more snaps during his second year in the NFL. Was his finish to 2022 a harbinger of things to come in a bigger role in 2023?