The One Overlooked Departure That Will Hurt Packers the Most

In NFL free agency, two things can be true at once.

It can be a big loss to let a young, talented player sign with another team. It also can be good business organizationally to let that player go.

So it is with defensive end Kingsley Enagbare, who signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the New York Jets early in free agency. Because Enagbare was never a premier pass rusher and was only a part-time starter, his departure generated a lot less buzz than the trade that sent Rashan Gary to the Cowboys or the big-money free-agent losses of Romeo Doubs and Quay Walker.

However, it’s a key loss for the Packers because he was such a steady, reliable player.

That was especially true against the run.

According to league data, Green Bay’s run defense last season was 0.42 yards per snap better when Enagbare was on the field vs. when he was off. Only Nazir Stackhouse was better among defensive players who received semi-regular playing time.

“By bringing a play style that’s violent, a play style that’s going to create fear, hopefully, into the opponent,” he said of what he’s going to bring to the Jets.

The 26-year-old played 203 snaps against the run, which ranked 52nd among edge defenders. From that group, he was tied for 11th in tackles.

He had five tackles for losses against the run, one behind Walker for the team lead.

“Kingsley, 6-5, 270. When you look at the defenses I’ve been on from New Orleans to Detroit to now, man, he fits exactly,” Jets coach Aaron Glenn told reporters at the owners meetings.

“I call him a rusher, which is really a defensive end. From Cam Jordan, to Hutch (Aiden Hutchinson), he fits that mold of that type. Now, totally different players, but as far as what we’re trying to build, to make sure that we have a guy on the edge that can really set it and then be able to rush with power, he was one of them.”

Colby Wooden Was Another Key Loss

Defensive tackle Colby Wooden, who was traded to the Colts for Zaire Franklin, is another overlooked departure. It was an unorthodox trade by Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst by swapping a 25-year-old for a 30-year-old linebacker.

“The General” went from two-year backup to starter in 2025 following the free-agent departure of TJ Slaton and the trade that sent Kenny Clark to Dallas for Micah Parsons. He started 16 games last season, with the lone exception being the rest-the-starters Week 18 game against the Vikings.

Wooden tied Enagbare for second on the team with five tackles for losses against the run. When he was on the field, the run defense was 0.13 yards per snap better than when he was on the sideline.

“It was a bit of a surprise at first,” he said of being traded, “but once everything settled in, I was excited. This is a great opportunity for me. I’m grateful for my time in Green Bay, but I’m ready for this next chapter.”

More than just steady contributors, Enagbare and Wooden were reliable contributors.

Coaches love to say that a player’s greatest ability is availability. Enagbare played in all 68 games in four seasons. He never averaged less than 26.5 snaps per game in a season. Wooden missed only one game due to injury in his three seasons.

Help Wanted for Packers

Gutekunst has done nothing to replace either player from a run-stopping perspective, which is disconcerting, to say the least, considering Green Bay finished 18th in rushing yards allowed per game and 12th in rushing yards allowed per carry with them in the lineup.

At the edge position, the Packers traded Gary and lost Enagbare but have not made even a token addition to the position group. There’s no doubt someone will be added between now and the start of OTAs next month, whether it’s April’s draft or late-stage free agency.

However, as it stands with Parsons set to miss the start of the season following his torn ACL, Green Bay’s four edge players for Week 1 are Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell, Brenton Cox and Collin Oliver. Van Ness is strong against the run – the defense was 0.36 yards per snap better when he was on the field – but Cox, Sorrell and Oliver are an unproven trio with a combined 452 snaps and two starts between them.

Gutekunst did sign Javon Hargrave in the wake of trading Wooden. Not that he’s bad against the run, but Hargrave has made his money rushing the passer. In 2025, the Vikings’ run defense was 0.13 yards per carry worse when he was on the field. With the 49ers, their run defense in 2024 was 0.54 yards per carry worse when he was on the field during his injury-shortened season but 0.39 yards per carry better in 2023.

“Obviously, he’s been an exceptional player in his career,” Gutekunst told reporters at the owners meetings on Monday. “He’s been one of those guys that’s excelled as a run stopper and a pass rusher. He’s a complete player.

“We’ve lost a few guys in the defensive interior there and we just needed to add something and I think, particularly because he was released, it was not part of the compensatory formula, he just fit really well.”

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