Of all the free agents the Green Bay Packers have to consider when they’re doling out extensions this offseason, one who is drawing less attention — and who should be getting more — is defensive end Kingsley Enagbare.
When Micah Parsons suffered a torn ACL in Week 15, it was Enagbare who saw his number called far more often. Outside of Week 18, when Green Bay sat almost every starter, Enagbare out-snapped every single defensive end on the roster in each game, including in the playoff loss to the Chicago Bears. That’s a list that includes the likes of two former first-round picks in Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness. When push came to shove, and with Parsons done for the year, the Packers put the most faith in Enagbare.
His numbers won’t jump off the page, but throughout the course of his four seasons in Green Bay, he’s been extremely consistent and quite good against the run. No Packers defensive end was credited with more stops this year than Enagbare, who had 18 of them, per Pro Football Focus.
Enagbare has been as durable as it gets. In four years, he’s missed a grand total of zero games in the regular season. There was the knee-injury scare in the 2024 postseason, when people briefly feared he had suffered a torn ACL. That turned out not to be the case, though. Having someone who’s proven to be readily available each and every week is a luxury for a Packers team that has seen some brutal injuries at the position in recent years, notably to Parsons, Gary, and Van Ness.
There are so many reasons why the Packers should bring back Kingsley Enagbare, and the final two are just as important as the others already listed.
Green Bay loves versatility, and Enagbare has played at least 150 snaps on special teams in each of the last three seasons. Even in his rookie season, he logged 86 snaps on teams. As a defensive end, he’s a solid player. He’ll never be relied upon to play at an All-Pro level, but he knows his role and is damn good in it. The added bonus of his ability to play on special teams is a boon to a team infamous for its woes in The Third Phase.
Then there’s the money.
Spotrac projects Enagbare’s market value at just under $6 million, with an estimated two-year contract worth $11.8 million. It wouldn’t break the bank to bring him back. Still, it’s fair to wonder if another team would up the ante and pay Enagbare at a starter’s going rate, making it extremely unlikely that he would return to Green Bay. Ultimately, the Packers could be priced out of bringing back their 2022 fifth-round pick.
If there is wiggle room to work something out, it makes a lot of sense for Green Bay to get it done, especially given that they could be parting ways with Rashan Gary and will need proven options on the opposite side of the field once Micah Parsons returns.
The Packers need help at defensive end after Gary disappeared for the entire second half of the season, and Van Ness hasn’t been able to put it all together after three years. Green Bay could choose to lean into more youthful options in Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver, both of whom will be entering their second season in the league. Neither was a premier draft pick (they’re fourth- and fifth-rounders, respectively).
There won’t be pressure to bring back Enagbare at any cost. He hasn’t proven to be that type of player. But while losing him wouldn’t be the end of the world for the Packers, it would create more questions at defensive end and double down on the gamble that Van Ness will finally click in Year 4.
The most fascinating decisions to be made among Green Bay’s own free agents will come in the form of Kingsley Enagbare, Sean Rhyan, and Quay Walker. It’s almost impossible to imagine all three returning, and the Packers could be left choosing between one or two of the three to pursue. Enagbare brings a lot of value, versatility, and durability. His departure wouldn’t make for banner headlines, but keeping him around makes a lot of sense.