When the Green Bay Packers traded defensive tackle Kenny Clark, they thought the best days of his career were over. Beyond that, they thought they had enough young depth on the interior defensive front that losing him would not hurt the overall group. Of course, they also thought the addition of Micah Parsons was worth it.
When Parsons has been on the field, he has been worth it. However, the other two thoughts have not come to fruition. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN recently conducted a poll where executives, scouts, and coaches ranked the top ten players at each position. When it came to the defensive tackle spot, Kenny Clark got some top-ten votes, and zero Packers players did.
The Green Bay Packers Defensive Tackles Remain a Problem After Kenny Clark Trade
GettyKenny Clark #95 of the Dallas Cowboys
To be fair, Clark did not crack the top ten overall, but he did get some votes and was listed in the article. That is more than any of the Packers’ current players can say. Clark had a down season with just one sack in 2024, causing Green Bay to think his best days were behind him.
However, he went from one sack to three, and from four tackles for loss to six. He also jumped from five quarterback hits to nine last year.
While Clark is not quite playing at a Pro Bowl level, he did show the Cowboys and Packers that his best days are not quite behind him. Meanwhile, the Packers group was a disappointment last year.
Packers Need More From Their Current Defensive Tackle Room
Green Bay did not like what they were seeing from Colby Wooden and decided to trade him to the Indianapolis Colts. They still have Karl Brooks and Devonte Wyatt, but with Javon Hargrave signed in free agency and Chris McClellan drafted, the team is going to have some new faces along the front.
Brooks is entering his fourth NFL season. However, he has dropped from four sacks in 2023 to 3.5 sacks in 2024 and then just half a sack a season ago. The Packers needed him to take a step forward without Clark, and he was worse.
Wyatt was the player that the Packers assumed would step into the workload that Clark was taking on. He is a former first-round pick entering his fifth NFL season.
He was starting to find his place in the NFL with 5.5 sacks in 2023 and then five sacks in 2024. Wyatt was having a strong first half, and if he finished the year healthy, he could have made the list over Clark.
However, he ended up playing in just ten games due to a broken fibula. He is expected to be fully healthy, but did not take the step into being a top ten lineman, or even be considered for one.
The Packers are not going to have any regrets from the trade as long as Parsons stays healthy. However, if he does not, they are going to look bad betting on the young talent that has not emerged yet.
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