The Green Bay Packers stunned the NFL on Thursday by acquiring Micah Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys. But to obtain the premier pass-rusher, the Packers had to give up two first-round draft picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
The effect of losing two first-round picks won’t start being felt until April. But Green Bay will find out if it misses Clark on Sunday, when the Packers kick off their 2025 season against the Detroit Lions.
Clark had been with Green Bay for nine seasons and earned Pro Bowl recognition three times.
On Friday, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst and coach Matt LaFleur professed confidence in Green Bay’s depth in the defensive interior, including former Auburn defensive tackle Colby Wooden.
“I feel really good about the group,” Gutekunst said. “We obviously have a couple unproven rookie players that haven’t gone out there and done it, but, man, they’ve really done a nice job in camp so far, and we’re excited about them. But I felt all along last year with T.J. and Kenny here that Karl and Wooden and D-Wyatt, I just felt that they probably needed more reps and deserve more reps. But, obviously, they had two really good players in front of them.
“So I thought we were deep, and, obviously, we’ve lost a couple guys now going into this season. But I’m excited what those guys that have been here will do, and then I’m interested to see also what Stackhouse and Brinson bring to the table as well.”
In 2024, Clark played 686 defensive snaps – 244 more than any other Green Bay defensive tackle.
Like Clark, T.J. Slaton started every game last season. But after playing 362 defensive snaps in 2024 for the Packers, Slaton left as a free agent for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Returning at defensive tackle for Green Bay in 2025 are Karl Brooks, who played 442 defensive snaps last season; Devonte Wyatt, 362; and Wooden, 234.
The Packers also have two rookies from Georgia available – sixth-round draft pick Warren Brinson and undrafted Nazir Stackhouse.
LaFleur said he was “very confident” in the group.
“I feel like just in our conversations, that’s one thing Guty and I talked about,” LaFleur said. “We had six guys on the inside on our roster, and I also think situationally there’s other guys that you can kick inside as well. So I think it just -- you can never have enough edge rushers in this league, and that’s a premium position. Not to say that the guys inside aren’t. They certainly are as well.
“But we feel pretty confident with the depth that we have there. I think the growth that we’ve seen from guys like Karl Brooks, Colby Wooden, then we got the two rooks inside there, obviously Devonte Wyatt. We feel confident with that group.”
The Green Bay depth chart shows Wyatt as a starter at one of the defensive-tackle spots. A first-round draft pick in 2022, Wyatt has made five starts in his three seasons, all in 2023.
The other first-team defensive-tackle slot, formerly filled with Clark’s name, is blank, with Brooks and Wooden listed as the second-teamers.
Wooden joined the Packers in the fourth round of the 2023 draft. He played in every game as a rookie and was on the field for 255 defensive snaps. Last season, Wooden played in 13 games, took 234 snaps and made his first NFL start.
During his career, Wooden has 37 tackles, three tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, one-half sack and two passes defended.
This offseason, Wooden completed his requirements to earn his degree from Auburn’s School of Business. But summer commencement fell on Aug. 9, the same day as the Packers’ preseason opener against the New York Jets.
The Packers arranged a graduation ceremony for Wooden during their team meeting that day, complete with cap and gown, diploma and the defensive tackle’s mother.
“That’s something they can never take from me,” Wooden said. “I’m a War Eagle man, an Auburn man. I’m grateful to coach LaFleur for doing that, setting that up for me. It would have been cool to walk, yeah, but at the end of the day, I feel like what we did here was pretty one-of-one, pretty rare.”
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at@AMarkG1.
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