Packers: Biggest questions at each position group on the roster

Linebacker: How will the Packers address the pass rush?

The Packers have plenty of talent at linebacker, but they lack a difference-maker. The pass rush has talented pieces, but lacked consistency in 2017, in part due to injuries.

Clay Matthews still has an important role to play in Green Bay’s defense. Expect Mike Pettine to move him around. Don’t be surprised if he spends more time at inside linebacker, a role he mastered throughout the 2015 season.

But for Pettine to use Matthews inside more often, the Packers need more consistency on the outside. GM Brian Gutekunst has to make adding more pass-rushing talent to the roster a priority this offseason.

With the Cowboys expected to use the franchise tag on Demarcus Lawrence, Detroit’s Ezekiel Ansah is arguably the top pass rusher set to hit free agency, although it’s still possible he re-signs with the Lions before the start of the new league year.

The Packers don’t necessarily need to find an edge rusher in free agency, although it would make sense to add some depth at the very least. But if the Packers avoid signing a veteran, the pressure will be on Gutekunst to hit on a draft pick. That’s far easier said than done.

How Gutekunst addresses the Packers’ pass rush could determine whether the offseason is a success or not.