GREEN BAY – The Packers' defensive line seemingly has two position rooms in Green Bay – one inside Lambeau Field and another inside the home of three-time Pro Bowler Kenny Clark.
Last season, Clark and fellow veteran Rashan Gary made a habit of getting the D-line together away from Lambeau Field to promote camaraderie among the unit.
The gatherings could be as serious as breaking down film from games or practice. They also could be as laid-back as eating some wings and pizza while watching Thursday Night Football.
This offseason, however, Clark and the D-line have taken things to an entirely different level, as the 10-year veteran has started hosting his fellow D-linemen for study sessions on weekends.
"We're together like all the time, so I mean, why not?" Clark asked rhetorically. "We're going to watch film and get better. Get better while we're hanging out."
While it's typical for players to head out of town after the workweek is over during the voluntary portion of the offseason program, most of Green Bay's D-line has chosen to stay.
Nobody orchestrated the meetings or required attendance. The group simply enjoys each other's company and is willing to put in a little extra to help take another step in 2025.
What started as simple get-togethers with teammates still in town has grown into study sessions since the third phase of the offseason program recently started.
If you ask Gary, he feels like it has helped the Packers' defensive front get off to a faster start entering Jeff Hafley's second season as coordinator.
"In Year 2, off to a better start, man," Gary said. "Just how we've been locked in Monday to Thursday; even us meeting on the weekends, having film studies. I feel like we're really locked in as a group. Things that we didn't do last year at this point."
Clark, who will begin his 10th NFL season before celebrating his 30th birthday in October, is now the longest-tenured member of the Packers' roster and takes that role seriously.
His desire is to make sure Green Bay's young defensive linemen understand formations, techniques, assignments and how to play blocks depending on the front.
At the same time, Clark feels there's plenty he can learn from the discussions with emerging veterans Devonte Wyatt, Karl Brooks and Colby Wooden, too.
"We've been doing it pretty much this whole offseason," Clark said. "We did it a little bit last year, get together and watch (individual drills) and all that kind of stuff. But we've been more consistent with it, just picking each other's brain, talking about different formations, fronts."
The 2025 season was a mixed bag for the Packers' defensive front. On the positive side, Green Bay finished top five in total defense and had its best performance against the run in 15 years, allowing the NFL's seventh-fewest rushing yards (99.7 yards per game).
While the Packers finished in the top 10 in sacks, they had some issues generating steady pressure on the quarterback with a traditional four-man rush.
It didn't help several players, including Clark (foot) and defensive end Lukas Van Ness (broken thumb), suffered injuries early on that hampered them through most of the season. In Clark's case, it required surgery after the season.
"It was on and off. Honestly, not good enough," said Clark of the pass rush last season. "Not good enough to win a championship so we've got to be better."
A strong desire to improve the pass rush is met with the same enthusiasm to maintain the stingy run defense, a mentality Clark is confident the group can sustain despite losing 330-pound nose tackle T.J. Slaton in unrestricted free agency.
Aside from Slaton, the Packers returned virtually everyone on the defensive front while welcoming a new position coach in former New England defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington.
Both Clark and Gary acknowledge many factors will contribute to the defense taking another step in Hafley's second season, but building chemistry and trust ranks near the top of that list.
That's where it can never hurt to pull teammates together even during the quietest portions of the NFL calendar.
"That's the main thing is just getting the bonding (and) building as a team," Clark said. "We're going to need everybody, and need everybody to be playing at a high level to start the season, so just make sure we're hitting on all cylinders."
