Packers outside linebacker Lukas Van Ness has reportedly been ruled out of the team’s OTAs after sustaining a thumb injury.
At Wednesday’s practice reporters noticed that Van Ness was working out with the group of players who were rehabbing injuries, which led to Matt LaFleur sharing an update on last year’s No. 13 pick during his press conference.
“He broke his thumb a little bit,” the head coach said. “Just the tip.”
It’s not clear at this time how long Van Ness’ injury will keep him out but it doesn’t sound like he’ll be seeing much of the field until Green Bay’s minicamp.
As a rookie last season, Van Ness logged 32 tackles, four sacks and a pass deflection in 17 regular season games. He also recorded another sack against the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs.
Van Ness starred on the D-line at Iowa where he garnered second-team All-Big Ten honors despite not starting any of the Hawkeyes‘ contests in 2022. He also made an impact on special teams by blocking two field goal attempts which ranked sixth nationally.
Hopefully the thumb injury isn’t something that affects 22-year-old’s offseason preparation too much. He’ll look to be an even stronger presence off the edge for the Pack in the ’24 campaign.