The Green Bay Packers defense finished the 2024 NFL season with 45 sacks, good for eighth in the league. But while that total and ranking would make it appear that Green Bay had an elite pass rush last year, the fact of the matter is that they did not.
While their sack total was among the league leaders, their pressure rate of 35% was just 26th in the NFL. The fact of the matter is that of those 45 sacks, 15 of them, or 33%, came in two games. They had eight against the Tennessee Titans in Week Three and seven against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 16.
As such, improving the pass rush is one of Green Bay’s priorities during the offseason. Undoubtedly, they will look to take an edge defender, or two, in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, they also make look to the free agent market as they have a surplus of funds available for the first time in years.
NFL Analyst Believes Philadelphia Eagles Pass Rusher Josh Sweat Should Be Priority #1 for the Green Bay Packers
Packers defensive end Rashan Gary has many more admirers among his peers, NFL players and coaches, than he does among his fan base. Despite having just 7.5 sacks in 2024, NFL players and coaches voted Gary to his first career Pro Bowl.
But while Gary has the respect of his peers in the NFL, the defensive end/edge rusher position in Green Bay is not very deep. This is a disappointing statement as Lukas Van Ness, a former first round pick, is part of that group. He, however, only played 39% of the defensive plays in 2024.
With questions surrounding the quality of players at the position, Patrick K. Flowers of Bleacher Nation (a Chicago Sports news organization), believes that it would be wise for the Packers to make Philadelphia Eagles star Josh Sweat this top priority in free agency:
“If Josh Sweat doesn’t remain in Philadelphia, I expect him to be on the radar of a few teams, three of which reside in the NFC North. The Bears, Lions, and Packers all have a need here and could be bidding against each other for Sweat’s services.
“Smith’s 78.8 PFF overall grade in the regular season ranked 11th among all guards, and he will still be only 25 when free agency opens. Smith is a high-floor, long-term investment that makes sense for a team with a healthy amount of cap space to deploy this offseason.”
As Flowers notes, Sweat will have a plethora of suitors if the Eagles allow him to hit free agency. In other words, he will not be cheap. That being said, the Packers have a tens of millions of dollars in salary cap space available and a clear desire to win a Super Bowl.
Sweat had 8.0 sacks in 16 games this season and was a big part of the Eagles’ punishing defense that won Super Bowl LIX. His market value, per Spotrac, is three years and $56.4 million, or $18.8 million a year.
Green Bay can afford that, but so can other teams.
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