Packers Signed Pass Rusher in 2021; Could They Again With This Veteran?

Before he was injured, Whitney Mercilus’ final NFL season received a jolt when he was signed by the Packers. On Wednesday, another late-career veteran became available.

Matthew Judon (9) reacts after a sack against the New York Jets in 2021. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – In 2021, with top pass rusher Za’Darius Smith out following back surgery, the Green Bay Packers signed veteran Whitney Mercilus.

Could history repeat itself in 2025?

With elite pass rusher Micah Parsons out following his torn ACL, a proven veteran in the mold of Mercilus became available when the Miami Dolphins opted to release Matthew Judon on Wednesday. The Packers could opt to put in a waiver claim on Thursday. If Judon goes unclaimed, he would be an unrestricted free agent.

The 33-year-old had zero sacks in 13 games (three starts) with the Dolphins this season. He had 5.5 sacks with the Falcons in 17 games in 2024.

Before that, he spent the 2021 through 2023 seasons with the New England Patriots. His defensive line coach for those three seasons was DeMarcus Covington, who is in his first season as Green Bay’s defensive line coach.

Judon was incredibly productive during their seasons together. In 2021, he had 12.5 sacks to earn Pro Bowl honors. In 2022, he had 15.5 sacks to earn Pro Bowl honors again and finished in the top 10 for Defensive Player of the Year. In 2023, he had four sacks in four games before sustaining a torn biceps that ended his season.

While Judon didn’t get to the quarterback with Miami, he did have 10 pressures in 151 pass-rushing snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Of the 98 edge defenders with at least 150 pass-rushing opportunities, he was second-to-last in pass-rush win rate.

Maybe a change of scenery and landing on a playoff team would give him a jolt. It worked in 2021 when Mercilus with the Texans had five pressures in 110 pass-rushing snaps. With the Packers, who wound up earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC, he had 10 pressures in 80 pass-rushing snaps before a torn biceps shut him down for the rest of the regular season.

Covington had Judon’s back in 2024 when a contract dispute turned ugly before he was traded to Atlanta.

“He’s been the same for us. For us and the defensive staff, he's been Judon,” Covington said at the time. “He’s been Matt Judon. He's been great in the classroom. He's been great for us in the practice.

“And I look at it like this, we all have bad days, right? If I asked any one of you guys, all of you would raise your hand and say you had a bad day. Unfortunately for him, his bad day was on camera, just like our bad day would be behind doors. He had a bad day, and then that was it. Everybody got to see it, and other than that, the guy's been who he's been since we signed him a couple years ago. I have nothing but respect and love for Judon and what he can do and will do for this team.”

However, Judon’s lack of production this season was striking. Judon’s pass-rush win rate was 4.5 percent. Of Green Bay’s current defensive ends, Lukas Van Ness’s win rate is 13.5 percent, Rashan Gary’s is 10.9 percent, Kingsley Enagbare’s is 10.8 percent and rookie Barryn Sorrell’s is 7.4 percent.

Plus, the roster spot that will open on Thursday when the Packers place MarShawn Lloyd back on injured reserve could go to Brenton Cox, who is in his third and final week of practice after being designated for return from injured reserve. His pass-rush win rate last season was 17.0 percent in 97 pass-rushing snaps over seven games.

Asked if he had enough at defensive end, coach Matt LaFleur on Wednesday said:

“Yeah, absolutely. Those guys are going to work hard. I know we’re going to get everything we can out of them, and I think we’re going to have a good plan.”

As it stands, this is what the Packers’ depth chart looks like at defensive end:

Rashan Gary: 7.5 sacks, seven tackles for losses, 17 quarterback hits, one forced fumble, 44 tackles in 14 games (14 starts)

Lukas Van Ness: 1.5 sacks, three tackles for losses, six quarterback hits, 13 tackles in seven games (two starts).

Kingsley Enagbare: two sacks, four tackles for losses, eight quarterback hits, 30 tackles in 14 games (one start).

Barryn Sorrell: 0.5 sacks, zero tackles for losses, two quarterback hits, six tackles in 12 games.

Arron Mosby: No statistical contributions on defense (two snaps) but six tackles on special teams in nine games.

Brenton Cox*: Suffered a groin injury in Week 1 and hasn’t played since. He had four sacks, five tackles for losses, seven quarterback hits and 12 tackles in seven games last season.

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