GREEN BAY − The Green Bay Packers should get a better sense in the next couple of weeks whether Collin Oliver can provide help that their pass rush badly needs.
Oliver was a fifth-round draft pick last year, and a rare one for general manager Brian Gutekunst, who much prefers edge defenders who are at least 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds. But Gutekunst made an exception and drafted the undersized Oliver (6-2 and 240) as a potential designated pass rusher.
The Packers still don’t have much to go on, though, for whether Oliver will find a pass-rushing niche in the NFL. He missed all but the final game last season because of a torn hamstring sustained at the NFL scouting combine in March 2025. He flashed some burst in the regular-season final against Minnesota (two quarterback hits), but not enough to get on the active list for the Packers playoff loss at Chicago the next week.
Oliver then missed this past offseason because of lingering issues with his surgically repaired hamstring, but he’s taken part in all four practices of training camp. The Packers haven’t practiced in pads yet this, and Oliver had had a quiet camp before making a couple of eye-catching plays Aug. 2 with a sack of backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor in a red-zone period and blow-up of an end around to Savion Williams.
“I try not to look at it like that,” Oliver said when asked if this was his best practice to date, “I try to encompass everything. There’s things I can improve on, and things I did well. Overall, it was a pretty good day.”
Oliver beat former Oklahoma State teammate Dalton Cooper on the sack. On the next play, he stayed home and blew up Williams’ end around in the backfield.
But the real test will be when the pads come on starting Aug. 3. The Packers are looking for one or more of their young edge players to emerge as pass rushers for help, especially early in the season with Micah Parsons not expected back until around Week 7.
Now that the pads are going on, the Packers will get a chance to see whether at 240 pounds Oliver has the explosiveness and bend to beat tackles when full contact is allowed.
“I’m here for a reason, I believe that,” Oliver said. “The undersized deal, it may be true, it may not be true. Regardless, I’m here to play ball and put my best foot forward. So that’s what I’m going to go out tomorrow to do.”
So far in camp, Oliver has been mostly working with the No. 3 defense. Lukas Van Ness and Barryn Sorrell are the starting edge defenders, and Breton Cox Jr. and fourth-round draft pick Dani Dennis-Sutton have been working mostly with the No. 2s.
Dani-Dennis Sutton getting long look
Besides often lining up as an edge rusher with the No. 2 defense, Dennis-Sutton has been taking regular snaps as an inside pass rusher, including occasionally with the No. 1 defense.
Dennis-Sutton has great measurables as an edge defender: For edge defenders at the NFL scouting combine since 1999, he ranks in the 93rd or better percentile in 40-yard dash time (4.63 seconds), height (6-6), three-cone drill (6.9 seconds), broad jump (10-11) and vertical jump (39½ inches).
But he said he did some interior rushing at Penn State, and new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon has been giving Dennis-Sutton regular snaps inside with the No. 1 defense on passing downs early in camp.
One reason for those snaps could be the domino effect of inside rushers Devonte Wyatt and Javon Hargrave still not taking part in team drills because of injuries. Still, based on the regularity Dennis-Sutton has been lining up inside, it looks like the Packers think he has the potential to rush from there as well as the edge.
He hasn’t made an obvious impact as an interior rusher yet, but expects to get his share of snaps there in the preseason.
“It just creates another mismatch for me inside,” he said. “I have the length and power, but I’ve also got the speed. Going inside creates a big mismatch on guards who may not be as agile as NFL tackles.”
Injury report
PUP: DE Micah Parsons (knee), LS Matt Orzech (calf), T Brant Banks (knee/hamstring), TE Luke Musgrave (neck), DL Jordon Riley (Achilles), DL Javon Hargrave (knee).
NFI: RB Chris Brooks (knee).
Returned: CB Kamal Hadden (ankle), OL Jager Burton (hamstring), took part in individual drills only.
Backup-center competition off to slow start
The Packers haven’t had a chance so far in camp to look at the top two candidates to be their backup center.
With starting guard Aaron Banks (knee) not taking part in team drills so far, one of their backup-center candidates, Jacob Monk, has been working the No. 1 offense in his place and has taken few if any snaps at center.
The other top backup-center candidate, fifth-round draft pick Jager Burton, still hasn’t participated in team periods this camp. He pulled out of the first day of camp during individual drills because of a nerve injury in his hamstring and in his return to practice Aug. 2 took part only in individual drills.
Another possible backup center is Donovan Jennings. But it’s hard to see how the Packers could trust playing him in a game. He had issues with shotgun snaps in camp last year, and on Aug. 2 he twice snapped the ball over the head of backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor in one team period. Jennings’ hopes of making the roster or at least practice squad again rest on his ability to play guard and tackle.
Tidbits
∎ Christian Watson has had a good start to camp but dropped a touchdown pass in a red-zone period. On a first down from the 11, the middle of the pocket collapsed on Jordan Love and, while stepping backward, he lofted a throw to a wide-open spot on the right side of the end zone for Watson to catch. Watson had to lunge for the ball, but it hit both hands and he failed to hang on.
∎ Trey Smack had his first live-kicking period of camp and went 3-for-5 while kicking into gusty winds that were coming at him at about a 45-degree angle. His makes were from 28 yards, an extra point and 42 yards. Both misses were to the side the wind was blowing toward. The snap from backup long-snapper Cal Adominitis was low on his wide-left miss from 39 yards. He also missed wide left on a 45-yarder.
∎ Cornerback Carrington Valentine pulled out of practice during individual drills because of an undisclosed injury and didn’t return. With him out, second-round draft pick Brandon Cisse took snaps across from Keisean Nixon with the No. 1 defense. Benjamin St-Juste and Jaylin Simpson worked at cornerback with the No. 2 defense.
∎ Undrafted rookie defensive lineman Anthony Campbell batted down two passes at the line of scrimmage, giving him three for camp. He said he knocked down two passes with the University of Miami all last season.
Quote of the day
Cornerback Kamal Hadden (ankle/foot) came off the PUP list and took part in all drills for the first time in camp. He temporarily dislocated his finger early in practice but quickly had trainers pop it back into place. His stoic handling of that comes in part from his gruesome injury last season when he dislocated his ankle, which at the time left his foot pointing sideways while his leg was straight.
“Once you see something like that you ease into everything else. Everything else is let’s get it going and let’s move on.”
This article originally appeared on Packers News: Can Collin Oliver find pass-rush niche when pads go on? | Packers Insider
Reporting by Pete Dougherty, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Packers News
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By Pete Dougherty, Green Bay Press-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
