-- The Green Bay Packers better hope they're not calling upon their backups off of the edge this season, otherwise, they could be in a world of trouble.

Neither Clay Matthews or Nick Perry -- the two solidified starters at outside linebacker -- said much after Thursday's practice to help soothe any anxious nerves.

"We feel like we have a pretty good grasp of the season moving forward as far as how we want to see this thing playing out with playing time and reps and everything," Matthews said. He's expecting a rotation, especially so early in the season with both him and Perry coming off of surgery over the offseason.

Matthews had a "minor" clean-up procedure done on his knee shortly after last season ended and Perry underwent ankle surgery sometime after the season ended as well.

"We want to be smart coming into the first game with myself and Nick, and obviously with what Reggie [Gilbert]'s been able to do and Kyler [Fackrell] knowing the system as well. We’ll be smart. But at the same time, you gotta go out there and produce."

Gilbert spent the first two years of his career on the Packers' practice squad after going undrafted out of Arizona in 2016. He fell victim to final roster cut-downs each of his first two years, however, was one of 22 players held out of the Packers' preseason finale this year for the sake of keeping him preserved for when the games really count: a telling sign for how far he's come.

Fackrell, meanwhile, has proven to be incapable of rushing the opposing quarterback on a consistent basis. He does help gives the Packers another sufficient body on special teams, which is detrimental in maintaining a roster spot.

"I’m sure there’ll be a rotation. The coaches and ourselves will put us in the best position possible to make plays."

Matthews hasn't played a full 16-game season since 2015 and Perry hasn't played a full season in his entire career. There's a good chance the Packers will need to bank on that two-deep depth at some point during the season.

"Just knowing the kinds of guys that we have," Perry said. "Obviously, you have me and Clay, Gilbert’s stepped up, and Kyler’s there, so we have the guys that we need to make this thing work.

"We’re going to continue to roll with what we have. That depth thing is nothing else, we can handle the load. That's what we’re here for. Just moving forward, we have what it takes to continue to push the envelope into the season."

Regardless of who the Packers have rushing off of the edge, they'll be playing in a new defense under coordinator Mike Pettine, whose success in generating pressure -- not just with his edge rushers -- has been well-documented.

The Packers are also going to rely heavily on disguised pressures, whether it be a cornerback blitzing from the slot or a safety shooting through the gaps. There's no shortage of complex looks that Pettine could unveil, regardless of the personnel.

"We're comfortable with where we are with it," Pettine said on Thursday, according to Michael Cohen of The Athletic. "A lot of faith not just in Clay and Nick, but Fackrell and Reggie. And Crawford is a guy, too, that we've cross-trained. He's rushed the passer before in his history."