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Jadeveon Clowney #42 of the Dallas Cowboys

The Green Bay Packers‘ need for defense off the edge is a continued topic of conversation around the team and the league, and one name is beginning to emerge as the likely favorite to fill that role.

On Thursday, June 18, Aaron Schatz of ESPN suggested Jadeveon Clowney as a stand-in for first-team All-Pro Micah Parsons, who is likely to miss at least the first three or four games of the upcoming campaign as he rehabilitates a torn ACL that he suffered in Week 15 of last season. One day later, Jason LaCanfora of SportsBoom cited a league source who named Clowney the favorite for the open job in Green Bay.

“Clowney is in no hurry to sign anywhere, according to sources with knowledge of the situation, and at this stage of his career, even training camp, or a full training camp, is not a prerequisite for him,” La Canfora wrote. “One executive told SportsBoom he has a hunch that Clowney ends up with the Packers.”

Jadeveon Clowney Could Potentially Land With Packers’ Division Rivals

La Canfora did not go all-in on a Packers-Clowney union come late July, which is when he suggested the three-time Pro Bowler will ultimately sign with a new team, but added the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions as potential players in the mix as well.

On the surface, Clowney inking in either the Windy or Motor Cities reads like a slightly more natural fit, given he is a more traditional defensive end who fits a 4-3 scheme well. But Clowney has played in 3-4 defenses successfully before, and Schatz’s analysis did not regard Clowney’s potential fit in Green Bay as problematic whatsoever.

“The Packers need another veteran who can help fill in for Parsons and then provide depth once he returns,” Schatz wrote. “Clowney’s 22.4% pass rush win rate last season would have been near the top of the league if he had enough pass-rush snaps to qualify for ESPN’s rankings. He had 8.5 sacks for Dallas, and the Packers could also use his ability to set the edge against the run.”

Packers Insider Sees Potential Breakout Campaign From Lukas Van Ness This Season

GettyEdge-rusher Lukas Van Ness of the Green Bay Packers.

Meanwhile, outside linebacker Lukas Van Ness has just 8.5 sacks across his first three seasons after the Packers selected him in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.

However, Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated has argued that Van Ness is the MVP of the team’s offseason to this point. And if the somewhat-maligned edge-rusher can carry that success over into the regular season, it should provide a boon for the Green Bay defense — particularly absent Parsons.

“There could be no bigger development than the rise of Lukas Van Ness,” Huber wrote. “What is perhaps crucial to note is Van Ness is a power-first player. That skill-set really isn’t an asset during the non-contact practices of the spring. Instead, Van Ness won in other ways. That should translate to training camp and beyond.”