After back-to-back rough campaigns with the Green Bay Packers, the team could trade former first-rounder Lukas Van Ness before the 2025 regular season. According to a source, the defensive end is one of the five players on the Packers who might be fighting for their jobs this upcoming campaign. Van Ness hasn’t been able to hit the ground running on the defensive side, even though he did show some progression following the Preston Smith trade. Originally selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, the former Iowa product was hoping to develop into a Trey Hendrickson-type player in the league, but has been struggling to get anything, which is why one analyst believes the Packers could trade him to Cincinnati in exchange for Hendrickson.
Mo Moton did propose a trade that would send Van Ness to the Bengals and a few 2026 draft picks for Hendrickson, but the chances of that happening are most likely slim. The Packers will likely give the defensive end another opportunity before giving up on him, but they still need to act fast so they can get someone to help Rashan Gary in the pass-rushing unit. While Van Ness has yet to show production, he still has a lot of potential, but could the Packers be open to trading him soon? It all depends on how the season plays out for the Packers since they underwent a coaching shakeup with the emergence of DeMarcus Covington as the new defensive line coach.
Breaking: Could Packers Trade Former First-Round Bust Lukas Van Ness? – 3 Logical Fits
Potential Destinations
New Orleans Saints
Since the New Orleans Saints will likely be without an adequate quarterback this upcoming season, the team may have to rely on the defense to make plays. Between Cameron Jordan and Khalen Saunders, the Saints need some stability in their pass-rushing unit. They’re getting older in that department with Jordan and linebacker DeMario Davis, so they could continue building talent in their room. The Packers might avoid sending Van Ness to an NFC team, but the fit is there, as Bryan Breese emerging as a starting defensive end seems unlikely.
Van Ness isn’t going to make much of an impact if he lands in New Orleans, but they need some new life in the unit to give the Saints a boost to become a potential high-caliber defense.
Baltimore Ravens
Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens’ defense hasn’t been the same for the past two seasons since losing Patrick Queen and Jadeveon Clowney. Even though they’ve seen some bright spots from Odafe Oweh, it’s enough to compensate for the production that the team hasn’t seen from Broderick Washington and Travis Jones. Following Michael Pierce’s retirement, the team just signed journeyman John Jenkins to take over, but someone like Van Ness could provide some type of stability in this core group.
He wouldn’t need to start immediately for the Ravens, but since he has the potential to become a starter, he might be the answer to finally be the guy to help Nnamdi Madubuike.
Los Angeles Chargers
Just like the Ravens, the Los Angeles Chargers need a significant upgrade in their unit. Even though they have all the cap space in the world, they’ve only signed Da’Shawn Hand and re-signed Teair Tart. Between Hand and Otito Ogbonnia, Van Ness is the better man in this situation, who can help smooth out this defense alongside pass-rusher Khalil Mack.
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