When the Packers drafted Devonte Wyatt in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, fans were excited to see that the Packers were finally trying to improve the defensive trenches. For years, fans had been calling for Kenny Clark to receive some help. Ever since Mike Daniels departed, Clark had been the only Green Bay defensive lineman to provide steady, quality play. Green Bay’s front office seemed content to cycle through lackluster players like Tyler Lancaster, Kingsley Keke, and Montravius Adams.
That tendency seemed to change with the drafting of Wyatt. Unfortunately, despite his high draft position, Wyatt has played only a handful of snaps in most of his games this year. This isn’t surprising – except for a few special cases like Darnell Savage and Quay Walker, the Packers rarely give their rookies significant early roles. However, that may soon be changing.
An Increased Role for Wyatt?
There were several key developments in the Packers’ matchup with Miami that could signal a bump in snaps for Devonte Wyatt. First, and most importantly, starting defensive end Dean Lowry suffered a calf injury that forced his relegation to injured reserve. According to Green Bay’s most recent unofficial depth chart, Wyatt will be next man up behind Lowry – though Jarran Reed should get his fair share of playing time as well.
Another reason that Wyatt could have an increased role is based in how the Packers used their defensive fronts against the Dolphins. Joe Barry choose to deploy a variety of 5- and even 6-man fronts in order to help get one-on-ones for his lineman. If that trend continues, all of the defensive lineman could get more playing time. Of course, that heavy usage of 3+ defensive lineman may have been due to Green Bay’s gameplan, rather than a permanent change.
A Unique Opportunity
Besides a general increase in snaps due to Lowry’s injury, this coming week’s game against the Vikings could provide a special opportunity for Wyatt to make a splash. Although Minnesota’s starting tackles – Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill – are quality players, the interior of the offensive line is much more questionable. LG Ezra Cleveland has been solid overall, but has graded out very poorly in PFF’s pass protection rankings, coming in as the 86th best in the NFL. Incredibly, rookie RG Ed Ingram has been even more horrendous, coming in at 100th on PFF’s pass protection rankings. Ingram has allowed a league-leading 10 sacks and 54 pressures.
At center, Minnesota can usually rely on the excellent Garrett Bradbury. However, Bradbury is dealing with a lower back injury and has not practiced yet this week.
Garrett Bradbury missed his fifth straight practice for the #Vikings on Thursday. James Lynch was the other player not practicing. pic.twitter.com/Z9CbFbBIyy
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) December 29, 2022
If Bradbury can’t go, then the Vikings will likely turn to backup center Austin Schlottman, who in 5 games has graded out as one of the worst centers in the league (49th out of 54) according to PFF. If he starts, then the entire interior of the Vikings line could be ripe for exploitation.
Conclusion
Although the Vikings have an impressive record, their interior offensive line could prove to be a weak point. Interior pressure can be a game-changer, and if Wyatt, Clark, Jarran Reed, and the other members of the defensive line can provide it, it would go a long way towards stymieing the Vikings offense. Even if Justin Jefferson finds success against the Packers secondary yet again, Kirk Cousins should have difficulty delivering the ball if he has 300+ pounds of defensive pressure bearing down on him.
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