The Green Bay Packers are staring down an offseason filled with tough personnel decisions, and one of the more intriguing names on the list is edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare. The 2022 fifth-round pick out of South Carolina is set to hit unrestricted free agency, and he’s a bit of a tweener in terms of value - not quite a full-time starter, but certainly more than just a rotational piece. So the question becomes: Should the Packers bring him back, or is it time to start reshaping the depth chart at edge?
Why Re-Signing Enagbare Makes Sense
Let’s start with what Enagbare has done when given the chance. While his early-season snaps in 2025 were limited - hovering around 25% through the first five weeks - his production picked up noticeably once his role expanded.
From Weeks 7 to 13, when he saw 46% of the defensive snaps, he logged 18 tackles, five quarterback hits, three tackles for loss, and a sack. Not eye-popping numbers, but solid, especially considering the context.
Take Thanksgiving Day, for example. While Rashan Gary was a non-factor, Enagbare stepped up.
In just 27 snaps, he picked up a half-sack, a tackle, and a QB hit. He wasn’t dominant, but he was disruptive - and for a defense that lost its anchor in Micah Parsons, that mattered.
And speaking of Parsons, his ACL injury late in the year exposed just how thin the Packers are behind him. With Gary likely heading out the door - the cap savings are just too significant, and there’s no indication he’ll take a discount - the Packers are leaning heavily on Lukas Van Ness to step into a full-time role. That’s a big ask for a player who missed a chunk of 2025 with a foot injury and hasn’t yet proven he can handle the workload of a 17-game season.
Behind Van Ness? You’re looking at second-year players Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver.
Sorrell played just 15% of snaps as a rookie, and Oliver saw even less while essentially redshirting the year. If Enagbare walks, the Packers would be one injury away from leaning on two unproven edge rushers in meaningful games.
That’s a risky proposition for a team eyeing a deep playoff run.
Durability is another feather in Enagbare’s cap. He’s suited up for 68 games in his career, and availability is a skill - especially in a position group where injuries are common.
At 26 years old, he’s still entering his prime, and he’s shown he can contribute both as a pass rusher and a run defender. In a defense that could use some stability, his presence would go a long way.
The Case Against Bringing Him Back
Now, let’s talk dollars and sense - literally. Edge rushers are premium assets in today’s NFL, and even mid-tier players can command big contracts on the open market.
Spotrac projects Enagbare’s next deal at two years, $11.8 million. That’s manageable - if it holds.
But if a team misses out on its top targets or a bidding war breaks out, that number could rise quickly. And for a Packers team that’s already working to get under the cap, matching a bloated offer likely isn’t in the cards.
Then there’s the production - or lack thereof - after Parsons went down. During the five-game skid to close the season, Enagbare didn’t register a single sack.
The Packers’ pass rush disappeared without Parsons, and while Enagbare wasn’t the only one struggling, he was getting more snaps than Gary and was on par with Van Ness in terms of usage. If he had stepped up and filled even a portion of the void left by Parsons, this decision might already be made.
And finally, there’s the compensatory pick angle - something Green Bay’s front office values highly. If Enagbare signs a deal in the projected range, the Packers would be in line for a sixth-round compensatory pick.
Considering they got four years of solid play from a fifth-rounder, flipping him into a future sixth isn’t a bad return. Especially for a team that won’t have a first-round pick in 2027 and could use the extra ammo to move around the draft board.
The Bottom Line
This one’s not black and white. Enagbare isn’t a star, but he’s a steady, reliable contributor at a position where depth is crucial. If the contract stays in the $6 million per year range, there’s a real argument for bringing him back - especially with Parsons likely to miss the early part of the season and the rest of the edge room still unproven.
But if the price climbs, the Packers might have to walk away and trust their development pipeline - or look for a cheaper veteran stopgap. Either way, this is a decision that could have ripple effects throughout the defense. Green Bay has Super Bowl aspirations, and in a league where pass rush wins games, letting a known quantity like Enagbare walk could be a gamble.