The Green Bay Packers entered offseason work looking woefully short of a necessary amount of depth and talent in the pass-rushers room, though Lukas Van Ness has spent the last several weeks improving that narrative.
Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated dubbed Van Ness the MVP of the offseason to this point, which bodes incredibly well for the Packers given that superstar Micah Parsons is likely to miss the first four games of the regular season on the physically unable to perform [PUP] list due to the rehabilitation involving his ACL injury.
“He had an excellent series of practices, capped by a havoc-creating minicamp last week. It was a huge development considering the young and unproven depth chart that is going to have to rise to the occasion without Parsons to start the season,” Huber wrote. “If that version of Van Ness shows up in Week 1 at the Vikings, Week 2 at the Jets and so on, Green Bay’s defense has a chance to do more than survive the opening weeks of the season.”
That said, Van Ness has just 8.5 sacks across three seasons with the Packers and has proven more adept at generating a pass rush on the inside.
Green Bay added rookie Dani Dennis-Sutton out of Penn State in Round 4 of this year’s NFL draft to bolster the position, but with Parsons sidelined, the outside linebacker spot is a significant concern — even if Van Ness has a breakout year.
One veteran option who could help, but hasn’t frequently entered the conversation in Green Bay, is Kyle Van Noy, most recently of the Baltimore Ravens.
Kyle Van Noy Has 2 Super Bowl Rings, Made Pro Bowl in 2024
GettyFormer Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy.
Van Noy, 35, played in Baltimore for the last three campaigns, making the Pro Bowl in 2024 after tallying 14 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks.
He was not as effective last season, but still produced four tackles for loss, four pass defenses, two sacks and an interception. Beyond what he brought as a pass-rusher, Van Noy posted a run-defense grade of 76.7, per Pro Football Focus, which ranked him 13th out of 115 edge defenders who played enough snaps in 2025 to qualify for a ranking.
Spotrac pinpointed Van Noy’s market value at $3.5 million for the upcoming campaign, which would prove more than a bargain for Green Bay if he can play anywhere near the same level he reached two years ago.
Beyond that, Van Noy has some locker room value as a longtime veteran with two Super Bowl rings on his resumé, both of which he won as a starter for the New England Patriots following the 2016 and 2018 campaigns.
Kyle Van Noy Less Expensive Option for Packers than Joey Bosa
GettyFormer Buffalo Bills pass-rusher Joey Bosa.
Van Noy spoke publicly in May via the “Up & Adams” show with Kay Adams, selling himself to prospective teams while voicing his desire to return to the league for a 13th season.
“I’m just motivated for all the people that think I’m done,” Van Noy said. “I’m gonna get double-digit sacks for whoever picks me up. That’s my energy and that’s my mindset. And I’m excited to do it with whichever team wants to come pick me up.”
Van Noy naturally fits the 3-4 base scheme that Green Bay will run under new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. And while he is five years older and was less productive last season than free agent pass-rusher Joey Bosa was with the Buffalo Bills, Van Noy should prove far less expensive on a one-year deal than the multiyear contract Bosa is likely to command.
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