Facing the Buccaneers this past Sunday, the Green Bay Packers were able to come away with a huge win. A big part of the key conference victory was Green Bay’s defensive performance.
Under Joe Barry, the Packers allowed only 12 points and came away with two forced fumbles. The defensive front recorded three sacks and put pressure on Tom Brady all day. Although Kenny Clark (2 sacks) and Rashan Gary (1 sack) were the main culprits, multiple members of the front had success against the Buccaneers offensive line. Perhaps one of the most exciting performances came from rookie edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare.
Analyzing Enagbare’s Numbers
Based on the rotation up front, it seems clear that Enagbare has become the third OLB off the bench behind Gary and Preston Smith. With Gary (43 snaps) and Smith (51 snaps) playing the majority of the game, Enagbare came in third with 23 snaps. Fellow backup Jonathan Garvin trailed the leaders with only 12 snaps on defense. Enagbare didn’t record any sacks or pressures. However, his tape shows that he was able to take advantage of his increased snap share. The young linebacker put multiple impressive pass-rush reps on tape.
How Did Enagbare Perform?
Enagbare didn’t have many reps in the run game – simply because his snaps coincided with plays where the Bucs decided to pass. Against Tampa Bay’s tackles, the rookie flashed an ability to string together moves based off of his power and length.
Here, he is rushing against the Bucs’ left tackle. Enagbare initially goes into a cross-chop-like motion, but quickly transitions to a bull-rush. Shoving the tackle back, he attempts to dip under the tackle’s hands to bend around the edge. Although he stumbles a bit, he keeps enough momentum and balance to nearly come up with a sliding sack.
He used a similar move later in the game, again beating the left tackle.
Enagbare didn’t rely exclusively on power, however. Facing the LT on a third rep, he uses his hands to beat the blocker. After using a quick stutter move to draw a two-handed punch, Enagbare swipes aside the attempt, then dips and rips around the corner.
However, his most impressive rep came against Tristan Wirfs, the Buccaneers’ stud right tackle. Starting his rush from off-screen, Enagbare initiates contact with a long-arm move. As Wirfs attempts to stymie the long-arm with an inside hand, Enagbare rotates his torso to minimize Wirfs’ target area. He then transitions to a snatch move, pulling Wirfs off-balance with his extended arm and swimming inside. If Tom Brady doesn’t get rid of the ball quickly, then this is a sack against a top-tier pass protector.
Conclusion
Although not all of his snaps were as impressive as the ones included here, Enagbare undeniably flashed exciting talent. He’s still a rookie, but he looks like he could provide valuable pass-rushing depth. His development will be exciting to watch – and could prove critical if any of Green Bay’s starting OLBs have to miss time.
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