Now entering his third NFL season, Green Bay Packers interior defensive lineman TJ Slaton is going to be relied on much more heavily in 2023, and he is one player who is off to a fast start in training camp.
Brian Gutekunst said that Slaton, Devonte Wyatt and Kenny Clark were going to be the anchors along the defensive line. This trio has been the Packers’ starting unit when they are in their 3-4 base defense. When they switch to nickel, and Keisean Nixon comes on the field to play from the slot, it has often been Slaton who remains next to Clark on the defensive front.
As part of the overall defense’s dominance over the offense early on in training camp, the interior defensive line has been doing a great job of generating consistent push into the backfield, oftentimes led by Slaton. There was one play, in particular, that comes to mind, where Slaton was one-on-one with Josh Myers and drove him into the backfield. He’s also looked very good flowing sideline-to-sideline to get to the ball carrier.
Although Slaton’s primary role in this defense is going to be as a run-stuffer, he’s been able to flash as a pass rusher as well, with the athleticism and power he possesses at his size. There was another play where he identified the screen to Luke Musgrave and was able to put himself in position to limit the play.
“I think TJ has really been working hard,” said Matt LaFleur after Tuesday’s practice. “I think by and large, our effort, quite frankly, particularly with that position, our guys’ ability to put the foot in the ground and retrace, has been outstanding. It’s probably been the best we’ve seen it, and TJ’s done a nice job and continues to take those steps and is becoming a better and better player. Obviously, we need that, you can never have enough big guys, and he’s doing a great job.”
Last season, Slaton played 333 total snaps, with about two-thirds of them coming against the run. Among the 78 qualified interior defenders, Slaton ranked 55th in PFF’s run-stop rate metric. Earlier this offseason, I asked run game coordinator Jerry Montgomery what’s need to be a good run defender, he said it all begins with having the right mindset.
“It’s a mindset. At the end of the day, it’s a mindset,” said Montgomery.
“When it clicks for them, you go back and watch TJ Slaton against the Minnesota Vikings here, and him pick up a 300 pound center and put him five yards back down there on the goal line and then grab the running back by the back of the neck and yank him down. That’s a mindset, he can do that every single time, but he has to make that decision.”
Improved play for the defense in 2023 begins with being better against the run. Last season, the Packers allowed the fifth most yards per rush and were the second-worst by DVOA. If an opponent is finding regular success on the ground, it puts the offense in short-yardage situations, opening up the entire playbook for them. Conversely, if the defense is able to contain the run, the offense now faces predictable second and third and long situations, allowing the defensive front to really get after the quarterback and the secondary to play more aggressively.
The Packers were really good on third downs last season because they put teams in obvious passing situations. However, they did not face many third downs because teams were able to move the chains before then, often due to their success in the run game.
The Green Bay defense has no shortage of pass rush options up front, something that Gutekunst acknowledged last week, but what they need are more players to step up against the run–with Slaton obviously being a key part of that potential improvement.
“Obviously, it all starts with stopping the run,” said Guetkunst. “I think TJ made some great strides last year and I’m excited to see what he can do.”
