OTA’s are underway and football is one step closer to returning. While the excitement of the 2025 season is growing, many members of the Packers pass rush have come to address the slow production in the 2024 season. Here is what they had to say.
It is no secret that the Packers pass rush in 2024 was underwhelming. Several reporters were able to catch up with Kenny Clark, Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness this past Tuesday.
Rashan Gary, who earned 7.5 sacks and 15 pressure in the 2024 season, was selected for the Pro Bowl. Was he deserving? Maybe, maybe not, but he seems hopeful for the upcoming season.
“Everybody had a great offseason up until this point getting back to OTAs, just how we been locked in Monday to Thursday. Even us meeting on the weekends, having film studies, I feel like we really locked in as a group. Things that we didn’t do last year at this point” Gary said following practice on Tuesday.
Gary also commented on his time spent at the Pro Bowl stating, “It was an honor, privilege, man.” This will be Gary’s seventh year in the NFL this season.
Kenny Clark opened up about his struggles in 2024 and mentioned that he injured his foot in the season opener against the Eagles last year. Clark earned just one sack last season.
Clark stated that he played through his foot injury all season and had surgery in January. When asked how much his injury affected him, his response “a lot”. The initial injury occurred after Clark got his foot stuck in the turf in Brazil.
A reporter asked what it was like to play through such an injury all season. Clark responded with “I wouldn’t even say it’s the speed. It’s every step. You’re taking every step, and your toe is busted.”
Clark seems to be going the extra mile to ensure the pass rush is up to par in 2025 as he hosted the defensive line at his house for film study during the spring on Friday and Saturday nights.
Lukas Van Ness, who is arguably the biggest question mark within the Packers pass rush, was also hurt for the majority of the 2024 season. Van Ness suffered a broken thumb last offseason that left him in a cast until week 10.
Van Ness logged three sacks this past season but mentioned to reporters that his broken thumb had more of an impact on his play than one might think stating, “When you’re kind of limited to using the thumb, a lot of our moves are originated from. I don’t know if any of you guys have ever broken a thumb or hand or anything, you kind of get a little bit of a mental block. It’s taken me a little bit of time to gain some confidence again in utilizing my hand to its fullest extent.”
So, while it seems the Packers pass rush was plagued with injuries in 2024 there still needs to be major improvement all around in the 2025 season if the idea is to compete.
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