GREEN BAY – An unfortunate misstep derailed Lukas Van Ness’ third NFL season, but it wasn’t his own.
The Green Bay Packers edge rusher had done everything right, whipping Cincinnati Bengals left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. off the snap, reaching Joe Flacco before the veteran quarterback could do anything about it. Van Ness wrapped both arms around Flacco, but before he could finish a play that should have signified his resurgence, he felt the pain in his foot.
As Van Ness turned the edge, Bengals center Ted Karras was driven back. The two converged in the worst spot, Karras stepping on Van Ness’ foot, before Van Ness could drag Flacco to the ground. He knew it was bad before even going to the sideline.
“It progressively got worse and worse,” Van Ness said. “It just wasn’t something I knew I could heal the right way unless I kind of just fully shut everything down.”
Van Ness won’t say what his injury was, only describing it as a combination of bone and tendon issues in his right foot. He needed time off his feet to heal. In the NFL, time off feet isn’t practical midway through October.
He missed the next five games because of the injury before returning against Minnesota, but Van Ness played only six snaps. His foot hadn’t healed. It took two more games before Van Ness could return in full. Even then, he never felt completely healthy through the end of the season.
It wasn’t easy to grapple with, his season derailed on his first full sack of the season, a play that should have meant his revival. Van Ness won the play. He lost his season.
“We can always operate in the what-ifs or the what of,” Van Ness said. “I work in absolutes. At the end of the day, that was the season. I wasn’t able to put together what I wanted to just with the injury.”
Van Ness’ first three seasons with the Packers have been anything but absolute. He has at different times been a promising rookie, a first-round pick teetering on bust and injury prone. What’s clear entering this fall is Van Ness’ importance to the defense. With Micah Parsons expected to miss the opening month and Rashan Gary traded away this spring, it’s time for Van Ness to find the equilibrium in his career.
The uncertainty is why exercising Van Ness’ fifth-year option was an easy decision for the Packers this offseason. The team needs more time to know what Van Ness will become. Van Ness will never get a better shot at providing that clarity than the start of this season. Meet expectations, and Van Ness still can validate why he was the 13th overall pick in 2023. Underperform, and he might not get another chance.
Van Ness doesn’t need reminding he’s entering the critical crossroads of his career. He knows how the past three seasons have gone, and how this season needs to be.
“I really love football,” Van Ness said, “and I love this. It’s probably not been my ideal career if you would’ve talked to me in 2023 when I was a fresh rookie coming in here, but everyone has their own process and their own path, and I trust the path. I feel really good about where I’m at. At the end of the day, I think talk is cheap. You’ve just got to put it out there when it matters.”
Part of Van Ness’ confidence comes from how last season went when he wasn’t injured. Van Ness had a half sack in the Packers’ opening win against Detroit. Even though it took four more games to reach the quarterback again, his film was better. Van Ness had nine quarterback hits in eight games, counting playoffs. He had six quarterback hits playing all 18 games in 2024.
Van Ness said his foot pain wasn’t at a “manageable” level until late last season. It showed in the Packers’ playoff loss at Chicago. He was a rare bright spot on defense against the Bears, sacking Caleb Williams. It was the Packers’ only sack on Williams in two games at Chicago last season.
“I’ve always been a pretty analytical thinker on a football field,” Van Ness said. “Almost to a negative where you’re just thinking too much. I think a little bit for me was just go out there, let it go, play free, play fast, and you’ll make plays. I think I did that, and for me I think that’s the most important part of my game, is not only the physical but the mental aspect. Just going out there freewheeling, play fast, play hard, and I know I’ll make the plays that come to me.”
More assured in his game, it’s also hard for Van Ness to not be confident in his 2026 arrival given what he hears every day. Nobody in the Packers locker room is a bigger fan of anyone than Micah Parsons is of Van Ness.
He uses almost every interview to make his belief clear.
“Luke is someone people sleep on the most,” Parsons said, “and I don’t know why. I think by the end of the season, if Luke stays healthy, he’ll probably be the favorite. That’s how much confidence I have in him.”
Van Ness said he’s learned from watching Parsons’ game, and it showed this spring. On the first day of minicamp, he was almost unblockable. Van Ness lived in the backfield, wrecking the offense, moving quarterback Jordan Love off his spot.
Then come the caveats. No, the Packers weren’t in pads. Coach Matt LaFleur said very little can be gleaned from defensive line play without them. The game will get more physical this fall. There will be more for Van Ness to dissect. What he does then will ultimately matter.
Van Ness, leaving the past behind, can’t wait for the chance.
“This is a tough job,” Van Ness said. “Everyone would do it if it was easy, and we expect that. Honestly, I love it. It’s cool to be a part of something that’s difficult and challenges you, but I’m up for the challenge. I think you’ve just got process and move forward, and that’s what I’ve done.”
This article originally appeared on Packers News: Lukas Van Ness knows Packers career is at crossroads after unlucky 2025
Reporting by Ryan Wood, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Packers News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ryan Wood, Green Bay Press-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
