At least on paper, the depth of the edge rusher position for the Packers has improved compared to this time a year ago. This could then force Green Bay to keep a sixth edge defender when putting together the initial 53-man roster.
During the Matt LaFleur era in Green Bay, the Packers have kept five edge rushers three times and four just once. They have, however, never rostered six. There are also layers that go into this decision, most notably whether or not Rashan Gary is ready to play at the start of the season, balancing the present and the future, along with how things shake out at other position groups.
The roster locks at this position include Gary, Preston Smith, JJ Enagbare, and Lukas Van Ness, with Brenton Cox, Justin Hollins, Jonathan Garvin, Keshawn Banks, and La’Darius Hamilton competing for a final roster spot or two. It’s dangerous to make assumptions at this time of the year, but I’m going to anyways. What I see this decision coming down to is if Gary is healthy and on the Week 1 roster, the Packers have to choose between keeping both Hollins and Cox or just one of them to maintain five edge rushers on the 53-man.
Garvin and Hamilton have been members of the edge rusher rotation previously, but as already alluded to, during that time, the rotational depth of this unit has been a noticeable area of improvement for this defense. Garvin has even been a healthy scratch on game days at times, while Hamilton has more often been on the practice squad.
Throughout OTAs and minicamp, both Hollins and Cox have stood out, which is why I believe this could be a difficult decision and could lead to Green Bay keeping six edge defenders. From a contract standpoint, Hollins is not a roster lock, as the Packers take on a very minimal dead cap hit if he is released. However, when with Green Bay last season, he held up well against the run and pass, ranking 26th in pass rush win rate and 27th in run stop rate from Weeks 12 through 18. Pass rush coordinator Jason Rebrovich would mention this offseason that Hollins also quickly became a leader in the edge rusher room, despite not joining the team until over halfway through the season.
During the open practice sessions over the last month, Hollins was a key member of the edge rusher rotation, often lining up across from Smith with the starters while also working with the starting special teams unit in a few phases. Although things can absolutely change, Hollins’ usage during these practices looks like someone who is going to play an important role on this defense rather than someone fighting for a roster spot.
Cox, meanwhile, was one of just a few players that LaFleur specifically mentioned when discussing which players had stood out during the offseason programs. Off-the-field issues kept Cox from being drafted, but in terms of on-the-field talent, he is a former five-star recruit who produced as a pass rusher in the SEC and, for what it’s worth, graded out well as a run defender by PFF. Similarly to what the Packers did last year with offensive tackle Caleb Jones, I wouldn’t be surprised if they feel that they have to keep Cox and his upside on the 53-man roster rather than the practice squad to prevent him from being signed by another team.
If push comes to shove and the Packers have to decide between Hollins and Cox, well, that could be a very difficult decision. Ultimately, do they prefer Hollins’ stability that he brings and potentially more immediate production or for a team in the midst of a transition at quarterback, would they rather have Cox’s upside?
If it turns out that Gary is not available Week 1 and he begins the season on the PUP list, then it’s safe to say that the Packers won’t keep six edge rushers. Green Bay would then keep either four, in preparation for Gary’s return and being added to the 53-man roster, or potentially five. But at some point, whether it be prior to Week 1 or after Gary’s return, the team is going to have to decide if they want to roster five or six edge rushers. Training camp, as always, will be the true litmus test, but as of now, there is very much a case to be made for the Packers keeping six edge rushers. And if they do decide to go heavy at edge rusher, that means going light at another position group.
