Green Bay’s new defensive plan under first-year coordinator Jeff Hafley has led to more turnovers, but it hasn’t yet improved the team’s pass rush. The Packers have a chance to change that this weekend.

Green Bay showed confidence in its other pass rushers by trading veteran Preston Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2025 seventh-round pick last week.

The Packers (6-3) will play their first game since that trade when they face the Chicago Bears (4-5), who fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron after a 19-3 loss to New England, where they allowed nine sacks.

“Our chops are going to be licking,” said defensive lineman Arron Mosby. “It’s an NFC North opponent, divisional game. We’re 0-2 (in the division) right now, so we’ve got to make a statement.” The Packers’ pass rush hasn’t been as effective as they would like so far.

Green Bay has 19 takeaways this season, one more than last year, and is tied for second in the league in that category.

However, the Packers have only 22 sacks, ranking tied for 18th in the league with 2.4 sacks per game. Last year, they had 45 sacks, which tied for 16th in the league.

“I think we still are waiting for that big breakout game for us,” said 2023 first-round pick Lukas Van Ness, who has recorded just one sack this season after having four as a rookie. “But I think we have a goal in mind of coming back from this break, and I think our best ball’s ahead of us.”

The Packers’ sack total is a bit misleading because 12 of those sacks came in just two games—eight in a win over Tennessee on Sept. 22 and four in a win over the Houston Texans on Oct. 20. In three of their last four games, the Packers have had no more than one sack.

Green Bay has pressured the quarterback on 24.5% of opposing teams’ dropbacks, which ranks 13th in the league. Last year, their pressure rate was 24.3%, ranking seventh.

The decision to trade Smith shows that the Packers believe their younger pass rushers can do more.

Smith’s playing time had decreased this season, but his 2½ sacks put him in a tie for second on the team, behind Devonte Wyatt, who has three. Smith’s 44 sacks since joining the Packers in 2019 rank sixth among all Packers since 1982.

Rashan Gary saw the trade as a clear message to the team’s other pass rushers.

“Step up,” Gary said. “Step up. Plain and simple. There’s a big opportunity. Everybody prays and asks for opportunities like this, so the opportunity’s out there. Let’s make the most of it and finish the season how we want to finish it.”

Smith told reporters after joining the Steelers that he had requested a trade because he was worried about his role after the Packers switched from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defense this season. Statistics suggest that other Packers veterans have also needed time to adjust to the change.

Gary has 2½ sacks in nine games this year, after recording 24½ sacks in 42 games from 2021 to 2023. Kenny Clark, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, is still looking for his first sack of the year after recording a career-high 7½ sacks last season.

“The numbers are going to come,” Gary said. “Numbers, people get misconstrued. Put on the tape, see how we’re playing, see how we’re setting edges, see how we’re putting pressure on quarterbacks. The numbers are going to come if we keep playing our fashion of ball.”

This trade also gives younger players like 2022 fifth-round pick Kingsley Enagbare and 25-year-old Mosby a bigger chance. Mosby won a spot on the roster after a strong preseason and teamed up with Gary for his first career sack in a Nov. 3 loss to Detroit, just before the bye week.

The Packers’ pass rushers have a big chance this Sunday against the Bears, who have struggled to protect rookie quarterback Caleb Williams all season. The Bears have allowed 4.1 sacks per game, with only the Cleveland Browns (4.8) allowing more.

This gives Green Bay’s pass rushers a chance to show their potential. “We all can hope for one of those type of games, a repeat of Tennessee,” Enagbare said. “Fingers crossed.”