The Must-See Packers Position Battle in Training Camp (And Who Will Win It)

Training camp is where position battles are won and lost. Playing time, at least early in the season, can be determined by what happens on the practice field and an abbreviated preseason schedule.

The Green Bay Packers do not have a lot of jobs up for grabs, but they still will have a position battle that will be decided on Ray Nitschke Practice Field.

Micah Parsons is a marvel. He’s one of the best players in the NFL at his position and is off to a historic start to his career. He will not be available for at least the first month of the season, though, due to a torn ACL he suffered in December against the Broncos.

Two of his primary running-mates a season ago are no longer in Green Bay. Rashan Gary was traded to the Cowboys in the offseason and Kingsley Enagbare was signed by the Jets in free agency.

Those two men playing elsewhere cleared the runway for Lukas Van Ness to be a starter for the first time in his career. Van Ness is firmly penciled in as a starter, and the Packers need him to have a big season both when Parsons is out of the lineup and once he returns.

The big story in training camp and the early portion of the season is going to be what happens across from Van Ness.

There are a plethora of candidates to start, but not a lot of experience.

The quartet of Barryn Sorrell, Brenton Cox, Collin Oliver and Dani Dennis-Sutton have combined for 6.5 sacks in their NFL careers. Even when you add Van Ness’s 8.5 career sacks, that number only adds up to 15. For comparison’s sake, Parsons had 12.5 on his own in 13-plus games last season.

The bottom line is the Packers need production from their edge rushing group, and there’s not a lot of experience and proven production. Assuming Van Ness is starting, let’s take a look at who the candidates are to start across from him.

Barryn Sorrell

The season does not start tomorrow but, if it did, Barryn Sorrell, the Packers’ fourth-round pick from 2025, would likely be the team’s starter across from Lukas Van Ness.

Sorrell had some solid moments as a rookie, including a sack and fumble recovery against Minnesota in the final game of the regular season.

The glass half-full-way of analyzing Sorrell’s rookie season is that he had the most sacks of any edge rusher taken on Day 3 in the 2025 draft. The glass-half-empty way to look at Sorrell’s season is that he only had 1.5 sacks.

Green Bay Packers defensive end Barryn Sorrell is shown against the Washington Commanders at Lambeau Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sorrell bounced in and out the lineup a year ago. He was a healthy scratch at times. Asking him to start would be a sizable leap from where he was a season ago. One way to make that leap would be taking some pointers from Micah Parsons, who Sorrell worked out with for several weeks after the season.

“I’m thankful to him for sure for seeing that in me and pushing me to be better and inviting me to come down for the offseason. Why would I not take that invite from a future Hall of Famer,” Sorrell said recently.

“Trying to really soak up as much as I can. Getting to work with him every day was a true blessing. I’m looking forward to how it pays forward when the season comes around.”

Brenton Cox

Of all the candidates to take Parsons’ spot in the lineup to start the season, none have as many pelts on the wall as Brenton Cox.

Cox was given an opportunity during the 2024 season to be a primary contributor after the Packers traded Preston Smith to the Steelers. Cox went from healthy scratch to a menace for opposing offenses. In seven games following the trade, Cox had four sacks.

Talent has never been a question. Consistency and availability have been a different story.

Last year, Cox had a golden opportunity to establish himself as a primary man in the edge-rushing rotation after the acquisition of Parsons. Instead, a groin injury kept Cox out for all but four regular-season games, eliminating any chance he had to build on a strong finish to the 2024 season. He did have a sack in Week 18.

Now, Cox has another chance with no proven players standing in his way and the Packers starved for pass-rush production in the absence of Parsons.

“I would hope so,” Cox told Packers On SI at minicamp. “A lot of the guys have had to pick up the slack since Micah has been out. And, you know, that’s what we’re here to do. I definitely think I’m talented enough to pick up the slack and get to the quarterback.”

If Cox can channel his energy from the 2024 season, he could make good on his words and pick up the slack in the absence of Parsons.

Dani Dennis-Sutton

Dani Dennis-Sutton was thought to be in play when the Packers were on the clock in the second round of this year’s draft. That would have made him the 52nd overall selection. Instead, he went 120th. From that perspective, the Packers might have a fourth-round steal.

From a culture standpoint, Dennis-Sutton is a perfect fit.

“I love and I need football,” Dennis-Sutton said after being drafted. “Football to me has always been an outlet. It’s been something for me to express who I am. Anybody who knows me, I'm a very emotional and exciting guy, so football’s a way for me to express that and have fun.

Penn State defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton (33) closed his career with back-to-back seasons of 8.5 sacks. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“My favorite time of the day is when I’m going out to football practice and playing on Saturdays, which will now be Sundays, and going out there and making plays. Yeah, I live and breathe football. It’s something I’ve done since I was a little boy. I’m just excited now to do it for the Green Bay Packers.”

No pressure on Dennis-Sutton, but the Packers might need him to be an immediate contributor, and the odds of history are stacked against him. Over the last decade of drafts, only three edge rushers taken in Day 3 of the draft had more than five sacks as a rookie

The Packers don’t need Dennis-Sutton to match that of Maxx Crosby, who had 10 sacks as a rookie in 2019. but every piece of punch they can add to their pass rush helps, and they’re confident his skills give him a chance to buck the historical trend of Day 3 edge rushers.

“Dani, first of all, his production is really, really good,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said following the draft. “His size, his speed, and I just think he’s got so much in front of him as far as his best football goes. He’s an elite athlete for a guy that’s almost 6-6 and played at around 265.

“His ability to come off the edge and rush the passer, affect the passer, he can bull rush, he can win with speed, his length affects the passer, he can set edges. So, I think he’s got a lot to offer and a lot of really good football in front of him.”

Collin Oliver

Of all the players on this list, Oliver is the biggest unknown, because he’s rarely even been on the practice field. Oliver was injured when the Packers drafted him. He was injured for most of the regular season and only made his NFL debut in the final game of the regular season.

Oliver had some nice moments against the Vikings in an otherwise meaningless game but was a healthy scratch for the postseason.

Oliver is undersized, but has the ability to give the Packers a different look as he’s more of a speed rusher. Would the Packers really start someone who is as undersized for the position as Oliver?

They have not for the duration of Brian Gutekunst’s tenure as the general manager, and it’s hard to envision Oliver winning a starting job without being absolutely lights out during training camp and preseason games. That he missed all of the offseason practices after missing them as a rookie, as well, could challenge him to make a push for anything beyond a specialist role.

Prediction

Green Bay Packers defensive end Brenton Cox Jr. (57) celebrates sacking Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The guess here is the Packers are going to be searching for answers at this position all season. Even when Parsons returns, the third and fourth edge rusher on the depth chart are going to play a lot of snaps.

Whoever wins the job early in camp will have an opportunity to be the first man off the bench when Parsons returns. That’s a valuable role to have.

As the Packers search for answers early in the season, I wonder if they’ll give the nod to someone who has the proven track record, albeit limited, for getting pressure on the quarterback in the NFL.

If Brenton Cox makes it out of training camp healthy, he’s been the most productive edge rusher when he has been given an opportunity. He has violent hands and the ability to chase down opposing quarterbacks.

This is also likely his last chance to make an impact in Green Bay. While Sorrell, Oliver and Dennis-Sutton will certainly get their chances throughout the season, if I had to peg one player to start across from Van Ness, I will bet on Cox.

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