Detroit Lions: Ranking the NFC North defenses for 2020
By Robert Jones
3) Green Bay Packers
The Packers defense took an important step forward last season. Can they take another one this year?
It started up front with the acquisitions of Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith. The Smiths brought some power to the Packers pass rush and helped ignite the front seven overall. It should never be overlooked how the addition of a couple of inspirational pieces that produce can rub off on the rest of the defense.
Kenny Clark is still a force to be reckoned with on the interior of the Packer defensive line, but Dean Lowry and Tyler Lancaster contributed in the trenches as well. The Packers hope to get a boost from Kingsley Keke as well and hope that former Michigan defensive lineman Rashan Gary will start to live up to his draft status.
But the Packers will miss Blake Martinez and Kyler Fackrell. Martinez was the Packers leading tackler last season with good reason. He was all over the field. Fackrell also contributed some big plays, but with both of them now in New York, the Packers front seven may take a step back.
Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage made plays from the safety position and Jaire Alexander has developed into a very good cornerback. Kevin King seems to be on the rise on the other side while Chandon Sullivan and Josh Jackson give the Packers some promising youth and depth.
The Packers defense did take a big step forward last season. A step that helped carry Green Bay all the way to the NFC Championship game, but there is no sugar coating the fact that the loss of key players will haunt them next season.
With the changes going on in Green Bay that haven’t exactly helped the offense, the step backward this defense will surely take hurts even more. Expect the Packers to still be pretty good on defense, but not good enough to be better than third overall in the NFC North.