The Green Bay Packers are going to look a lot different at edge rusher in 2026. Gone is Rashan Gary, a weekly starter for the Packers since 2021. Also gone is Kingsley Enagbare, who played in all 68 games as a key backup over the last four years. And there’s a good chance Micah Parsons — who tore his ACL in early December — will miss at least the first four games while he ramps up on the PUP list in the final stages of his recovery.

While the roster has other holes, it comes as no surprise that at least one outside analyst sees depth at edge rusher as the Packers’ biggest roster issue after the first week of free agency.

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From ESPN’s Bill Barnwell: “Gary and Kingsley Enagbare have departed, and the Packers have to expect that there will be early-season concerns about Parsons, who tore his ACL in his left knee in mid-December. Lukas Van Ness will be ticketed for a larger role, but he might have been more successful rushing from the interior in 2025 than he was on the edge. The Packers could reduce Van Ness inside when they had Gary and Parsons outside, but as they approach 2026, they won’t have Gary and might not have Parsons to open the year. And after the Parsons trade, the Packers also won’t have a first-round pick in each of the next two drafts, limiting general manager Brian Gutekunst’s ability to add cost-controlled talent on the edge.”

Parson’s injury and the departure of two veterans does create a dilemma for the Packers, even after using a fourth-round pick on Barryn Sorrell and a fifth-round pick on Collin Oliver last April. Can Green Bay really begin the 2026 season with Sorrell or Oliver or Brenton Cox Jr. starting opposite Lukas Van Ness at such an important defensive position? Parsons will eventually return and solve a lot of problems, but the Packers are going to be rightfully cautious with a such an important, valuable player coming off a major injury. And edge rusher is too important of a position to just wing it with such inexperience over what could amount to a quarter of the 2026 season with Parsons on the sideline.

Barnwell’s ideas for veteran solutions include targeting a player who was released (Mike Danna, Anfernee Jennings or Josh Paschal) or waiting until after June 1 when unrestricted free agent signings no longer affect the comp pick formula. Jennings might be a good option as a tough run stopper in the Enagbare mold.

A veteran with some experience playing on the edge could give the Packers an early season starting option and also valuable depth down the stretch. This could also be a spot where the Packers invest a high draft pick to make sure the edge rusher cupboard is always stacked with at least three-deep with major investments — a trend Brian Gutekunst has followed throughout his time in Green Bay.

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The Packers are certainly banking on Van Ness becoming an impact player in a full-time role, and Sorrell or Oliver could enjoy a Year 2 breakout in a bigger role. Cox is back after flashing some pass-rushing ability in his first three seasons in Green Bay. But edge rusher is still a spot where the Packers will likely add between now and Week 1, either with a pick in the draft or for cheap in the veteran market.

This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Edge rusher depth highlighted as Packers’ biggest roster issue post-free agency