Green Bay Packers Counting On Lukas Van Ness to Step Up At Edge in 2026

The Green Bay Packers have moved on from several key veteran players who played major roles on the team recently like Elgton Jenkins and Rashan Gary. They also had several key players have their seasons ended prematurely by serious injuries like Micah Parsons and Tucker Kraft. Now, the Packers will be counting on Lukas Van Ness to step up at edge in 2026 and beyond.

Packers Counting On Lukas Van Ness: The Situation

The Packers defensive end or edge rusher position has completely changed since last season. GM Brian Gutekunst traded Gary to Dallas to clear cap space. Primary backup Kingsley Enagbare departed in free agency and signed with the New York Jets.

The Packers also expect Parsons, their top edge rusher, to start the season on the PUP list as he recovers from the torn ACL he suffered in Denver back in December. The team hopes he will be ready to play by October, which will be roughly 10 months after he suffered the injury.

Since Parsons and Gary were the starters last year and Enagbare was the player with the next highest snap count, the position will look completely different at the start of the 2026 campaign.

Parsons will obviously start once he’s ready to return. The favorite to start opposite Parsons will be former first-round pick Lukas Van Ness.

His Career So Far

The Packers selected Van Ness with the 13^th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The former Iowa star earned the nickname “Hercules” for his size and athleticism. He was considered a developmental prospect who needed to improve his technique before he’d be ready to make major contributions in the NFL.

In his first two seasons, Van Ness did not start a game. He recorded four sacks as a rookie and three in 2024. Last season, injuries limited Van Ness to nine games and he started two. He recorded 1.5 sacks and seven quarterback hits. Van Ness recorded 19 total tackles including three tackles for loss.

Pro Football Focus liked Van Ness’ game. He graded out as a good pass rusher and run defender. At this stage of his career, he is just starting to show a variety of pass rush moves as opposed to just a bull rush or a speed move off the edge.

The Packers are still unsure who will start the season as the starter opposite Van Ness. Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver would be candidates although the Packers could still add another player in the draft or trade. Another moderately priced free agent also remains a possibility.

Packers Counting On Lukas Van Ness: Looking Ahead

Gutekunst will need Van Ness to play a much bigger role this season. He also needs to decide whether to pick up the fifth-year option for Van Ness who is entering the final year of his rookie contract. That decision must be made by May.

Gutekunst sounded like he was leaning towards signing him to a second contract. “It’s about what we think he’s going to do in the future, not what he’s done in the past,” Gutekunst said at the Scouting Combine. “So, that’s kind of how we look at things. We did that with Devonte [Wyatt] last year. If that’s the decision we decide to do, I won’t have a problem with that at all.”

“He was playing very well for us. It’s always tough to get back to that level when you have that pause in the season. No, we feel really good about him, where he’s headed, what he’s done for us so far and what he’ll do for us in the future.”

The 2026 campaign will be a critical one for Van Ness. He has an opportunity to take on a bigger role and prove that the Packers made the right decision by selecting him in the first round of the draft back in 2023. The Packers will need him to take his game to a higher level this year.