NFL: The Green Bay Packers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 19-15 on Saturday to clinch their first winning preseason in the Matt LaFleur era. While many players who are considered locks for the 53-man roster got playing time, most of the players that were featured, especially late in the game, were roster hopefuls with one last chance of making their case for a spot.
The defense, as it has been all preseason. According to PFF, the Packers finished the preseason with the highest graded defense by far. They came away with a 80.2 overall defensive grade. The next closest team was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with 75.1.
Related: Green Bay Packers Unlikely Wide Receiver Headlines Top 5 Highest and Lowest PFF Grades on Offense
The Top 5 Highest Graded Green Bay Packers on Defense (NFL)
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It is high time that the defense, which when healthy features eight first round picks, started playing above-average defense. Defensive coordinator Joe Barry has been heavily criticized for two years (deservedly) and LaFleur has been criticized for keeping him.
Unsurprisingly, the top-five highest graded players on the Packers’ defense were dominated by linebackers, the position in which Barry specializes:
- Marvin Pierre- 90.3
- Tyrell Ford- 89.3
- Brenton Cox- 86.0
- Lukas Van Ness- 83.8
- Eric Wilson- 83.2
To be fair, Marvin Pierre only played three snaps.
Tyrell Ford is the only non-linebacker in the top five. He played 16 total snaps and had a 90.0 coverage grade. He likely will not make the 53-man roster due to the immense level of talent at the position. However, he has had a good preseason and could be retained on the practice squad.
Brenton Cox is one player that most fans would love to see make the team. He went undrafted due to character concerns, but otherwise was considered a second-round talent. He has played well ever since signing with Green Bay and is a favorite to make the 53-man roster.
Lukas Van Ness, on the other hand, was drafted in the first round and is expected to play well. He had his best game, according to PFF, on Saturday against the Seahawks. While he did not put up insane stats, he did eat up blocks and put pressure on the quarterback, allowing his teammates to make plays.
Eric Wilson is another player who might have put himself on the 53-man roster with his play this preseason. He had another solid game on Saturday and should be part of the Packers’ linebacker room this season.
The Top 5 Lowest Graded Green Bay Packers on Defense (NFL)
Another common aspect of preseason games is special teams players playing their traditional positions on offense or defense. This was the case again on Saturday, and it became very obvious why some of these players remain on special teams and do not see playing time on defense:
- Elijah Hamilton- 42.1
- Justin Hollins- 43.5
- Innis Gaines- 46.3
- Tariq Carpenter- 49.4
- Dallin Leavitt- 51.1
Elijah Hamilton really had no shot of making the roster given all the talent at quarterback. On Saturday, he gave up two receptions (on two targets) for 63 yards.
Justin Hollins is an interesting case. On one hand, the Packers liked him enough last season to re-sign him for this year. He may not have had a good game on Saturday, but he is a good depth piece and is effective when not being asked to play a lot of snaps. On the other hand, edge rusher all of a sudden has a plethora of good young talent on it. He’s probably safe, but it would not be all that surprising if the Packers went with a younger player.
Innis Gaines is like on special teams, but has been woefully ineffective on defense. That trend continued on Saturday. Unless Rich Bisaccia really makes a push for him to be included for special teams, he may be gone after Tuesday.
Tariq Carpenter is in the same boat as Gaines. He is valuable on special teams, but the Packers did not want to keep him at safety (their weakest position), and moved him to linebacker (where they have a plethora of talent). Carpenter is still learning the linebacker position and showed flashes, but would be a liability on the field in a regular season game at the position. If he makes the roster, it will be for special teams.
Dallin Leavitt is almost certainly making the roster. Again, his value is on special teams. It has been said that Bisaccia would rather cut off his hand than cut Leavitt; that is how much value he brings to that unit. Let’s just hope he doesn’t ever have to play safety.
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