GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers were historically young at receiver and tight end in 2023. They weren’t as young on the defensive line, though they surrounded veteran Kenny Clark with a third-year player, a second-year player. and a couple of newbies. This group was mostly up to the task. Incredibly, all five players appeared in all 17 games. In Part 6 of our annual end-of-season class, we focus on the defensive line. As always, our scores are determined by their impact on the salary cap. Analytical stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions..
KENNY CLARK
2023 cap: $12,905,000. Place: No. 10 according to OverTheCap.com. Clark made the retired Pro Bowl team after one season that was easy to take for granted. He was never mentioned alongside Aaron Donald, Chris Jones or Fletcher Cox, but you can only assume that Clark makes some impressive plays each season. Clark, who turned 28 in October, recorded 44 tackles and had a career-high 7.5 sacks and 16 quarterback hits. He added another half-sack in the playoffs against San Francisco. He averaged one sack per 18.4 snaps. With TJ Slaton manning the nose and Clark lining up either left or right, it was easier than usual to run away from him. Clark finished 10th of 137 interior defenses with at least 100 passing yards. His 61 pressures were one of his career highs. His average tackles were limited to a career-best 1.5 yards per carry, and the run defense was 0.18 yards per attempt better when Clark was on the field. He knocked down seven shots (13.7 percent)..
DEVONTE WYATT
2023 cap: $2,922,996. Rank: No. 58 according to OverTheCap.com. A 2022 first-round pick, Wyatt took advantage of the free-agent departures of Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed to improve his 2022 record of 15 tackles, 1.5 sacks, three quarterback hits and zero losses to 36 tackles, 5.5 sacks and 11 quarterback hits. . and six tackles for loss in 2023. He averaged one catch every 15.3 snaps and his average catch came 1.7 yards down..
The Packers picked off the passer to hit Wyatt. And so he did. Wyatt ranked third in PFF passing productivity among 137 inside linebackers with at least 100 passing yards. He had a total of 45 pressures. There is one glaring and huge weakness in his game: tackling. He missed 11 tackles and completed 23.9 percent, the worst of any NFL inside linebacker with 20 or more tackles. He could have had 10 sacks if he didn’t let so many quarterbacks get away from him. The run defense was 0.19 yards worse when on the field. In 42 snaps against San Francisco, he had one tackle, zero pressures and two missed tackles..
2023 cap: $1,010,130. Rank: 117. According to OverTheCap.com. If Wyatt is paid to sack the quarterback, Slaton is paid to stop defenders. A fifth-round pick in 2021, Slaton’s production this season was about the same as his 2021 and 2022 totals. He had 49 hits. At Nose Tackle, he averaged 12.8 snaps, by far the best on the unit..
The run defense was 0.32 yards per carry better when Slaton was on the field. His average tackle hit 2.3 yards down the field. However, he missed too many; eight absences resulted in an absence rate of 13.6 percent. Slaton just needs to play more consistently. When he did everything right, as he did in must-win games against Minnesota and Chicago, he was a block-eating, run-blocking threat. When he dropped the pad or messed up his footwork, he was only 330 pounds invisible. The fact that he ranked 105th in PFF productivity and only had 14 pressures is beside the point..
2023 cap: $941,982. Rank: 129. According to OverTheCap.com. A fourth-round pick, Wooden was the last man in a five-man rotation. He had 17 tackles, half a sack, two quarterback hits and one tackle for loss. Of 137 inside linebackers with at least 100 passing yards, Wooden ranked 36th in PFF’s pass rush productivity with 11 total pressures in 105 snaps..
Wooden averaged 15.0 shots per shot and missed one shot (5.6 percent). While he averaged 3.0 yards per punt, the defense was 0.57 yards better on the ground — the best among Green Bay’s top seven defenders, according to league data..
KARL BROOKS
2023 cap: $803,007. Rank: 152. According to OverTheCap.com. A sixth-round pick, Brooks wasted no time passing Wooden to become the primary backup. Brooks had 30 tackles, four sacks, five quarterback hits and six tackles for loss. He added four passes defensed, one fewer than Jaire Alexander and the same as safeties Jonathan Owens (three) and Darnell Savage (one) combined. Brooks played mostly on the wing in Bowling Green. How would he adapt to a new position in the face of much better competition? Incredibly good. Brooks ranked 30th in passer productivity by PFF and had 25 total pressures. The run defense was 0.04 yards better when on the field. He averaged 19.0 punts per punt, averaged 1.8 yards on downs and didn’t miss a single punt..
2023 cap: $803,007. Rank: 152. According to OverTheCap.com. A sixth-round pick, Brooks wasted no time passing Wooden to become the primary backup. Brooks had 30 tackles, four sacks, five quarterback hits and six tackles for loss. He added four passes defensed, one fewer than Jaire Alexander and the same as safeties Jonathan Owens (three) and Darnell Savage (one) combined. Brooks played mostly on the wing in Bowling Green. How would he adapt to a new position in the face of much better competition? Unbelievably good. Brooks ranked 30th in pass efficiency according to PFF and collected 25 pressures. The run defense was 0.04 yards better on the ground. He averaged 19.0 yards per carry, 1.8 yards per carry and no interceptions..
