The Green Bay Packers’ pass rush left a lot to be desired for much of 2024. They’ll need to bring in some help for next season, one way or another.
On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Chargers announced that they’re releasing veteran Joey Bosa. Immediately, Green Bay was floated as a possible landing spot, but Bosa is too big of a risk for the Packers.
Betting on a defensive end who turns 30 in July to help significantly elevate the pass rush is a perilous wager. Age is only one factor in the equation, but it’s a big one when you look at the shelf life of an NFL player and production numbers once they’re no longer in their 20s.
There are always exceptions to the rule, but Bosa is more than likely not to fall on the right side of that divide.
Bosa had 5.5 sacks in 2024 across 14 games played. That total was the second-lowest of his career for any season. His previous low came in 2022 when he had 2.5 sacks due to a groin injury keeping him on the sidelines.
Oh, and those injuries in 2022 weren’t new for the veteran edge rusher.
Bosa suffered a sprained foot against the Packers in Week 11 of the 2023 season. The Chargers eventually placed him on injured reserve, and he missed the rest of the season.
A pocket of Packers fans constantly harp on wide receiver Christian Watson for his injury woes. The soft-tissue injuries popped up in flurries during Watson’s first few years in the NFL. An offseason trip to the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health helped solve the issue when doctors found an imbalance in his legs.
Watson and the Packers showed initiative in finding answers to the hamstring injuries that plagued Watson. The speedster wideout said he felt great entering 2024.
It comes from a lot of things. Obviously, the issues I’ve had in the past with hamstrings, not fully recovering from those, strength-wise. I’ve been attacking the strength side of it, trying to get that symmetry back and it’s been huge for me. I feel really, really good. I gotta continue grinding at it.
Watson had a strong campaign before a torn ACL ended it against the Chicago Bears in Week 18. Despite it being completely unrelated to hamstring injuries that disappeared in 2024, fans still smacked the label of “injury prone” on Watson.
And Watson isn’t the only one who some fans have soured on.
Jaire Alexander has missed 34 of 68 games in the regular season in the last four years. Plenty are fine with the idea of parting ways with Alexander despite him being a top-tier cornerback when he is on the field. It’s all because of availability concerns.
Green Bay has yet to sort that out themselves, but there’s no doubt there’s frustration that Alexander hasn’t been able to stay on the field. Brian Gutekunst said as much back in January while also noting there’s no disconnect between the two sides.
No, there’s frustration from both sides that he can’t get out there. That’s tough. I feel for him. He wants to be out there and wants to play, but, no, no disconnect.
With some questions regarding injuries to players already on the roster, why would Green Bay add another with Bosa?
He still makes a difference to an extent when he’s on the field. But, like Alexander, Bosa has a tough time staying healthy. For all the unnecessary shade Watson gets, it’s worth pointing out that No. 9 has played 1,060 snaps in the last two seasons, while Bosa has logged 1,026 in the last three.
Injuries can’t necessarily be predicted. Still, it’s a harsh reality that some players, for whatever reason, tend to get bit by the bug more than others. Bosa is one of those who sometimes seem like a magnet for calamity. He’s also seeing a dip in his production when he’s on the field.
Bosa hasn’t had a double-digit tackles for loss season since 2020. He’s had as many quarterback hits (27) in the last three years as he did in all of 2020, and he only played 12 games that year.
Someone will take a shot on Bosa, and rightfully so. There’s name recognition and always the belief by some front office that a player of his caliber can find the juice to put forth a couple more really solid seasons. It’s a bet that some team will be willing to make, and it might well work out.
Green Bay just isn’t one of those teams that can take that bet.
Finding an answer at edge rusher and someone who can immediately provide a spark is a must. Believing that answer can be found in an oft-injured defensive end who’s set to turn 30 is more than just a gamble. It would be a reckless risk.