Third-year defensive end Lukas Van Ness eyes a return, potentially bolstering the Green Bay Packers' formidable defensive front against the Minnesota Vikings.
If the Green Bay Packers hope to make a run through this upcoming gauntlet of NFC North games, being as close to full strength as possible will be vital. Of course, you can't predict injuries, and you can barely prevent them in the NFL, and like most other teams, injuries have certainly plagued the Packers this season.
On offense, the Packers have been playing without star wideout Jayden Reed for much of the season, and they lost superstar tight end Tucker Kraft to a season-ending ACL injury a few weeks ago.
The Packers have been pretty healthy on defense, but one notable exception to that has been third-year defensive end Lukas Van Ness. He was in the midst of what appeared to be a breakout season before injuring his foot while sacking Joe Flacco in Week 6.
Van Ness didn't go on the IR, but he missed the past five games and has been practicing on a limited basis.
The good news for the defense is that the Packers do think they may get him back this weekend against the Minnesota Vikings, though. This is according to Zach Kruse, who is reporting that the Packers are targeting a return for Van Ness this weekend, provided his body holds up to this past week of practice.
"That is the goal, we'll see how he gets through today," LaFleur said, per Kruse.
The Packers have a strong one-two punch at pass-rush with Micah Parsons and Rashan Gary leading the way, but Van Ness has proven to be a vital third piece of that puzzle. At 6-foot-5, 272 pounds, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley was also able to move him inside next to 6-foot-3, 304-pound defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt.
A front four of Parsons, Wyatt, Van Ness and Gary is elite. Throw in Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper behind them at linebacker and that's easily one of the best front sevens in the NFL.
Van Ness had notched 11 tackles, 1.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, six quarterback hits and 16 pressures this season. The former No. 13 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Iowa, the Packers had to have been ecstatic to see Van Ness playing like he was before he got injured. They were waiting for a breakout for him, and through his first two seasons, it seemed possible that it might not happen.
Those five games were proof of concept, so it really stung that things got cut short when they did.
In order for this Packers defense to truly be Super Bowl-caliber, they'll need him to restart that breakout path he was on as soon as he gets back on the field.