Countdown to camp: Big names soon returning to Packers' D-line

Packers
24 Jul 2026, 19:30 GMT+10

Opportunity knocking on the edge while interior got reinforcements

Mike Spofford

"Countdown to camp" is a position-by-position overview of the Packers' roster heading into training camp. The series continues with the defensive line.

GREEN BAY Both the edge and interior of the Packers' defensive line are eagerly awaiting the return of major players in 2026.

On the edge, it'sMicah Parsons. Inside, it'sDevonte Wyatt. Both veterans were sidelined with significant injuries down the stretch last year when the Packers' season turned sour.

It remains up in the air just when Parsons will be back. He's expected to begin the regular season on the physically unable to perform list (PUP), which would require him to miss at least the first four games. Beyond that, it's wait and see exactly when he'll be cleared to return.

During the offseason,Parsons spoke of a nine-month timelinefrom the date of his surgery, which took place in late December. That could mean he'll be back on the practice field in late September or early October and go from there, but nothing's been announced in terms of a target date.

In the meantime, it'll take a collective effort to replace the 12 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 27 QB hits Parsons (6-3, 250) racked up over 14 games in 2025. He earned his fourth career All-Pro and fifth Pro Bowl selection in his first season with Green Bay following the blockbuster trade with Dallas late last August.

Following the departures of Rashan Gary (trade to Dallas) and Kingsley Enagbare (free agency to N.Y. Jets), and based on how the defense lined up during OTAs and minicamp, one starter at edge rusher will beLukas Van Ness. The 2023 first-round draft pick was off to a strong start last year, with 1 sacks through five games, before a foot injury derailed his season.

He returned late in the year to record the defense's lone sack in the playoff loss at Chicago, giving him 10 career sacks, including postseason play. Fully healthy for the first time since his rookie year he also dealt with a thumb injury throughout 2024 even though he didn't miss any games opportunity is knocking loudly for Van Ness (6-5, 272), whose fifth-year option was picked up this past spring.

Who will start opposite Van Ness during Parsons' absence will be one of the more intriguing competitions of training camp and the preseason. The top candidates are 2025 fourth-round pickBarryn Sorrell, undrafted veteranBrenton Cox Jr., and rookie fourth-rounderDani Dennis-Sutton.

Sorrell (6-3, 256), a former Texas Longhorn, played sparingly as a rookie last season until getting a Week 18 start at Minnesota with several regulars resting for the playoffs. He turned in an impressive showing, with eight tackles, a sack, a TFL and a fumble recovery in 52 snaps, which earned him a larger rotational role in the playoffs and set the stage for a Year 2 jump.

Cox (6-4, 250) was thought to be on that type of trajectory last season, his third as a pro, before a groin injury in the opener landed him on injured reserve for 13 games. He came back to notch a sack in the Week 18 Minnesota contest but otherwise never got the chance to build on his strong finish to 2024, when he recorded four sacks over seven games after Preston Smith was traded to Pittsburgh.

Dennis-Sutton (6-5, 256)enters the NFL from Penn State, where he was a two-time, third-team All-Big Ten selection, compiling 17 sacks over the past two years. He also led the FBS with three blocked kicks last season.

Other young prospects at edge rusher include 2025 fifth-round pickCollin Oliver, undrafted veteranArron Mosbyand undrafted rookieNyjalik Kelly.

Oliver's rookie season was almost a total washout due to a lingering hamstring injury from his college days at Oklahoma State. Multiple setbacks in his recovery kept him off the field until the Week 18 Minnesota game, when Oliver, smaller than the prototypical edge rusher (6-2, 240), played 31 snaps and recorded a TFL and two QB hits. Oliver and Sorrell both trained with Parsons during the offseason asthe star has taken both under his wing.

Mosby (6-3, 250) has spent the past two seasons with the Packers and played mostly on special teams, with 12 coverage tackles. He did record a half-sack in 2024. Kelly (6-5, 263) played two seasons each in college at Miami and Central Florida, compiling 12 sacks, 22 TFLs and five forced fumbles over 40 games (26 starts).

On the interior, Wyatt's late-season absencedue to a significant lower leg injuryfrom the Thanksgiving win at Detroit was felt across the defensive front. The 2022 first-round pick, who will be playing in 2026 on his fifth-year option, was on pace for his third straight season with at least five sacks (he had four with five games to go), and Wyatt (6-3, 304) has recorded 21 TFLs and 30 QB hits over the past three years.

The two biggest offseason additions at defensive tackle a position that lost Kenny Clark in the Parsons trade last summer and then Colby Wooden in the trade for linebackerZaire Franklinin the offseason were free agentJavon Hargraveand third-round draft pickChris McClellan.

Hargrave (6-2, 307) was a cap casualty in Minnesota following his 10th seasonas the Packers become his fifth NFL team. Originally a third-round pick of the Steelers in 2016, Hargrave played for new Green Bay defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon in Philadelphia for two years (2021-22), tallying 18 sacks in that time and earning his first Pro Bowl nod. He added another Pro Bowl selection with a seven-sack season in San Francisco in 2023.

McClellan (6-3, 313) played a total of 51 college games at Florida and Missouri (two years each) and set career highs across the board in 2025 with 48 tackles, eight TFLs, six sacks and six QB hits,all impressive numbers for an interior lineman.

Returning veterans to the defensive tackle group include fourth-year prosKarl BrooksandJonathan Ford, third-year relative newcomerJordon Riley, and second-year former Georgia teammatesWarren BrinsonandNazir Stackhouse.

A sixth-round pick in 2023, Brooks (6-3, 296) cracked the starting lineup for the first time last season, starting seven games in all. He has eight career sacks to go with two blocked kicks.

The massive Ford (6-5, 338) was originally a seventh-round pick by Green Bay in 2022 and spent two years on the active roster and practice squad without playing. He then appeared in 12 games for the Bears in 2024-25 before returning to the Packers late last season.

The equally sized Riley (6-5, 338) was another late addition last year, coming over from the Giants' practice squad and appearing as a reserve in four games. But an Achilles injury ended his season in late December and his availability for 2026 remains uncertain.

Brinson, a sixth-round pick in 2025, and Stackhouse, a highly regarded undrafted prospect, both played reserve roles as rookies and started one game apiece. They each had double-digit tackles in limited playing time.

Also in the mix on the inside areJaden CrumedyandAnthony Campbell, who both came to Green Bay in January.

Crumedy (6-4, 301), drafted out of Mississippi State in the sixth round by Carolina in 2024, appeared in eight games over two seasons there. Campbell (6-6, 307) went undrafted last year out of Miami and spent the start of his rookie season on Seattle's practice squad.