There's no way the Green Bay Packers watched the same pass rush as the rest of us and thought, 'We're a new defensive line coach and two Day 3 picks away from turning this thing around.'
That can't have been their conclusion. Yet here we are.
The Packers have maintained confidence in their current edge-rushers, and Brian Gutekunst backed up his comments by waiting until Day 3 to draft Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver. No free-agent additions or trades, and zero early-round draft picks to fix one of the team's glaring issues from last season.
Green Bay's biggest move was to hire DeMarcus Covington as its new defensive line coach.
Packers' failure to upgrade their pass rush could cost them a shot at a championship run
The Packers best hope Covington can work miracles with the defensive line. They'll need him to.
It's incredibly difficult to win a Super Bowl without a top pass rush. That's the gamble Green Bay is taking.
According to ESPN, the Packers ranked 26th in the NFL for pass rush win rate last season. While the team's 45 sacks ranked eighth, that number was deceiving because 33.3 percent of them came in two games. The defense recorded eight sacks against Tennessee and seven versus Seattle but struggled for consistency for the rest of the season.
The Packers are relying on Rashan Gary to rediscover his best form and for someone to remind Lukas Van Ness he was a first-round pick.
Here's a concerning stat: According to Pro Football Focus, Detroit Lions edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson had more pressures (45) in five games last season than Van Ness has made in his entire NFL career (42).
Defense wins championships. More specifically, dominant pass rushes win championships.
The Lions boast arguably the league's best offensive line. The Chicago Bears might not be far behind after aggressively upgrading their starting five via trades and free-agent moves. Can Green Bay's pass rush find any consistent success against them?
It might take a miracle.
Perhaps the Packers have one final trick up their sleeve and can make a trade for a top pass-rusher. Maybe Covington can help this group realize their potential. It might take immediate contributions from rookies Sorrell and Oliver.
It may pay off, but if not, it could quickly derail the Packers' Super Bowl dreams.