With NFL offseason activities looming and the NFL Combine underway, the Green Bay Packers have a few positional "situations" that they will need to address this offseason.

No matter how the Packers choose to address areas that need improvement in 2025, this offseason has been heavily geared toward the Packers' need for upgrades across the defensive line and changes at cornerback.

Being so could shake up the contributions for a couple of players in each spot, but some players find themselves in more precarious spots based on their situation, production, and tenure.

Defensive Tackle: Kenny Clark

General Manager Brian Gutekunst had no hesitation about addressing the lack of production out of his defensive front at the 2025 NFL Combine.

He stated, “We need to affect the quarterback more in our front four."

The good news for the Packers is that the 2025 draft is deep at defensive tackle, with a larger crop of top-end talent than normal who can accomplish that goal of improving the four-man pass rush.

The bad news for Kenny Clark is that Green Bay selecting any of those top-end talents is going to directly impact how the Packers are viewing Clark's spot on the roster after this season.

With Clark turning 30 this season and Devonte Wyatt still on a rookie contract, the Packers aren't going to add a premier defensive tackle to pair long-term with an aging Clark while phasing out a still-developing Wyatt. After all, it's Wyatt who has been the more effective pass rusher up the middle for the Packers.

While Clark still plays a valuable role in the Packers' improved defense under Jeff Hafley, there's uncertainty around his future after this season, with the Packers being able to get out of his contract before having to cough up a large roster bonus in 2026 for his age 31 season.

Wyatt has work to do himself, but he was arguably the Packers' most effective pass rusher this past season before sustaining a lengthy injury that derailed what was trending to be a big season for Wyatt.

It's reasonable to hold out hope that Clark could have a bounce-back season in year two with Hafley. But considering that in the last ten seasons, only Aaron Donald, Chris Jones, and Cameron Heyward have been All-Pro defensive tackles in or after their age-30 season, it does not bode well for Clark's odds of having enough meaningful football left in the tank to be favored in the long term over the young talent Green Bay has at the position.

Especially considering the amount of premier defensive tackles who have been hanging up their cleats early into their 30s, it's also reasonable to expect Clark doesn't have many years left in the league in general. Making any addition at defensive tackle via the draft or free agency an indication of the Packers' planning for a near future without Clark.

With Clark having been "the guy" for so many years, the eventual passing of the torch was always bound to happen. While he may still have a starting role in 2025, the draft presents a rare opportunity for the Packers to secure a top-of-class, do-it-all defensive tackle to reignite a dynamic pairing they had hoped to achieve from Clark and Wyatt.

Defensive End: Lukas Van Ness

Gutekunst is fresh off delivering his expectations for Lukas Van Ness at the NFL Combine, claiming Van Ness is "everything you want in a professional as far as his work ethic and what he puts into it — I expect him to take a big jump this year.”

While that is certainly words of encouragement from the GM, the Packers have never been the franchise to air dirty laundry or put players on blast in front of the media, regardless of how tough a situation gets.

Year three was likely always the plan for Van Ness to take the "jump" in his play, so the quote is less than surprising. However, if the Packers bring in another edge player, it's certainly not going to be to run Rashan Gary out of the building.

So, while Gutekunst may have high confidence in Van Ness, which is rightfully justified given the development timeline, the seat is going to warm up quicker for the soon-to-be third-year defensive end more than anyone else if his production does not begin to tick up. After all, the lack of production across from Gary, with Van Ness only producing two games in his first two seasons with over a 70.0 PFF pass-rush grade, is exactly why the Packers possibly eying up another edge is far from a secret at this point.

Especially with Brenton Cox Jr. having also arguably looked more impressive than Van Ness last season, despite playing in far fewer games, the added pressure to perform is already in the building. Kingsley Enagbare has been a fine contributor himself but, at this point, is not a player Green Bay would look to offer much long-term investment into and was a far less lofty upfront investment should they part ways.

Adding another edge via free agency or early in the draft is only going to ensure the Packers have options should Van Ness not start ascending into the player they drafted him to be at pick 13 a few years back.

If Green Bay looks to the early rounds of the draft for another edge rusher, Van Ness may certainly see first looks to open the season, but regardless of Gutekunst's comments, that could slip away quickly if production is again slow.

The Packers may be slow to demote Van Ness from a starting role in favor of a rookie, similar to how they were slow to increase Edgerrin Cooper's snaps even though it was clear to the world that he needed to be starting. But the implications of not performing to expectations are far greater for LVN than the likes of an undrafted Cox and will be far more costly to the Packers should he not live up to his pick 13 draft status.

There is a silver lining in that should the Packers land a free agent like Khalil Mack, that could be a net-positive long-term for Van Ness, who could afford to learn under the tutelage of a future Hall of Fame pass rusher. Even if it means a short-term reduction in snap count that is aimed at getting Van Ness on the field in advantageous situations to maximize his reduced snaps.

This could also be the situation for a few other pass rushers the Packers could bring in, but if it's a younger player like Chase Young on a multi-year deal, that could spell similar trouble for LVN's outlook as a first or second-round talent would.

Cornerback: Jaire Alexander

Upon initial evaluation, it would be very easy to say Eric Stokes is most at risk by the Packers adding another cornerback. The Packers not picking up his fifth-year option would support that case as well.

However, while many were all but out on the Stokes experience, from the week 10 bye week on, he silently was in the top three among corners with at least 150 coverage snaps in receptions allowed, yards allowed, yards allowed per coverage snap, coverage snaps per completion allowed, and completion percentage allowed.

But what's flown almost completely under the radar is Stokes's improvement in tackling. He finished 2024 with the eighth-highest PFF tackling grade among all corners with at least 500 defensive snaps (76.7) and only three missed tackles.

Gutekunst also didn't inspire any hope with Jaire Alexander while addressing the media at the Combine, commenting, "We'll see" about a player with two years left on his deal. Generally speaking, that comes off as not great, no matter the talent Jaire brings when he's healthy.

Unfortunately for the former All-Pro, the best ability is availability, and that department has severely suffered from continued injuries since 2021. In that time, Alexander has only logged one season with over seven games played.

For the last two seasons specifically, Jaire has not been able to resurface the elite coverage skills he displayed before injuries mounted, and his run defense and tackling have taken major hits. He's still put up decent games in the 14 games he's played the past two seasons, but he's far off from the elite abilities he's previously dominated with.

Meanwhile, Stokes just logged a 17-game season, which can not go understated for the Packers' confidence in him and his continued development as a perimeter corner. If Stokes translates his second half of 2024 into a full season, it'd be very difficult to argue against the Packers extending him a multi-year contract.

So, after further review, it reads as more likely that if the Packers draft a corner early in the draft, Jaire's release or trade would be the most imminent shake-up.

Per Packers cap guru Ken Ingalls, the Packers would free up $6.9 million space if Alexander is released or traded before June 2nd. That number jumps to $17.1 million if he's a post-June 1st release or trade.

There's no reason to assume Stokes is going to fall off or that Carrington Valentine won't keep improving himself. With Keisean Nixon improving vastly as an outside corner last season, the Packers are already fairly well positioned to have a respectable defensive back group next season, especially with the help of All-Pro safety Xavier McKinney.

Freeing up the cash from moving on from Jaire opens up a variety of ways the Packers could then look to address more pressing roster needs with a more premier talent at those spots.

From there, adding another cornerback early in the draft only fortifies the top of Green Bay's cornerback depth chart with a player who gives them a comfortable starting option should an injury occur or performance sour, who will contribute meaningful snaps right away, and be ready to plug in should the Packers look to move off another corner after the next season or two.