Micah Parsons made a seismic impact on the Green Bay Packers' defense four days ago despite playing on a pitch count. One pressure led to a Jared Goff interception, another resulted in a key third-down stop. He also made his first sack late in the fourth quarter.
The best is yet to come. Not only is Parsons officially active for Thursday Night Football, but he isn't coming alone.
The Packers will have two new defensive players joining the mix — cornerback Nate Hobbs, their big free-agent addition, and edge-rusher Barryn Sorrell, their fourth-round pick who starred in the preseason.
Hobbs has the inside/outside versatility that defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley loves. He levels up the secondary. Sorrell only played in one preseason contest but made two pressures and two QB hits, earning an elite 87.9 PFF pass-rush grade, ranking 10th among 241 edge defenders.
Both will debut tonight. Parsons is getting even more help.
Packers' inactives for TNF provide a boost on defense but concerns on offense
Here are the Packers' inactives for Week 2:
- CB Bo Melton
- S Zayne Anderson
- OL Zach Tom
- G Aaron Banks
- TE Ben Sims
- DL Warren Brinson
While the defense gets good news, the offense will miss two key starters: left guard Aaron Banks and right tackle Zach Tom. The latter suffered an oblique injury directly after Aidan Hutchinson made an illegal hit on Jordan Love that caused Tom to jump out of the way with an awkward landing. Hopefully, neither injury is too significant.
In the meantime, second-year Jordan Morgan will likely get the start at left guard, with either recent trade addition Darian Kinnard or second-round rookie Anthony Belton replacing Tom. Kinnard came off the bench in Week 1, a potential sign of the Packers' plans.
Green Bay will also miss cornerback Bo Melton, but Hobbs' return ensures the team has enough depth.
The Packers have placed pass-rusher Brenton Cox Jr. on injured reserve. He played eight snaps in Week 1. The debuting Sorrell will likely play a similar share of the snaps on his debut.