The Green Bay Packers selected Lukas Van Ness with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, hoping he could develop into the franchise's next cornerstone pass-rusher. Through his first three seasons, that blueprint hasn't quite panned out, with Van Ness recording just 8.5 sacks in 43 games.
The front office elected to bolster the position by trading for Micah Parsons, who is set to enter his second season with the club after earning an All-Pro bid in a shortened 2025 campaign. The star edge is slated to miss at least the first five weeks of the 2026 season after suffering a torn ACL and meniscus in Week 15, coming into the season on the team's PUP list.
In his absence, Jonathan Gannon will be forced to lean on the likes of Van Ness and other young pass rushers to fill the void of his All-Pro defender. In an expanded role, the outlook of the Packers' pass-rush could fall on the shoulders of the former first-round selection with Parsons sidelined.
Van Ness will enter the season with elevated expectations, as the defense will lean on his production early in the year without the unit's top player.
He's struggled early in his career, missing time due to ankle and thumb injuries over his first several seasons, which has hampered his output through three seasons. With another slow start to the year, the Packers' defense could face trouble in a crucial 2026 campaign.
Packers Defense Needs Lukas Van Ness To Produce In Micah Parsons' Absence
Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Green Bay's defense simply cannot afford another inconsistent season from Van Ness with Parsons sidelined. Matt LaFleur and his staff will be forced to lean on the defense early in the year, and without a reliable pass-rush up front, Green Bay's defense will struggle.
With an explosive start to the year, Van Ness could help uplift an injury-riddled unit, generating momentum with Parsons set to return around Week 6. He and Parsons could build on such a start throughout the season, cementing a star pass-rush duo on the Packers' front.
Green Bay's pass-rush will be under the spotlight early this season, and it will be up to Van Ness and a relatively inexperienced group at the position.
Alongside him, Dani Dennis-Sutton and Collin Oliver will see valuable reps early in their respective careers due to an injury to a player of Parsons' caliber. Green Bay's defense felt Parsons' absence immensely down the stretch of last season, but with Van Ness stepping up as the team's premier threat on the edge, such a trend could be flipped on its head in 2026.
