Paul Bretl | 3/7/2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. — With free agency on the horizon, I have been taking a closer look at the Packers’ pending free agents in my ‘Re-sign or Let Go and Prediction’ series.
For each free agent, I will make a case as to why the Packers should re-sign them, and I’ll also discuss why the Packers would let them walk and play elsewhere. Then, at the end, I’ll make my prediction.
This will be my third offseason doing this series, and through the first two, I’ve gotten 24 of the 27 predictions correct.
Up next, let’s take a closer look at whether or not offensive tackle Andre Dillard will return for the 2025 season. If you missed our other previews, you can find them below:
Eric Wilson
Isaiah McDuffie
Robert Rochell
TJ Slaton
Tyler Davis
Eric Stokes
Brandon McManus
Josh Myers
AJ Dillon
Why the Packers will re-sign Andre Dillard
Retaining Dillard provides the Packers with experienced depth at the offensive tackle position, which is an element where there is certainly value, especially given the current construction of the roster.
Dillard is a former first-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft by Philadelphia. He was signed by the Packers last offseason, prior to the draft, to add that aforementioned experience and bolster the competition on the back-end of the offensive tackle depth chart. He would end up making the 53-man roster and spent the season there, appearing in two games on offense and playing 13 total snaps.
“His athleticism, being able to move, being able to set and cover guys up,” said GM Brian Gutekunst last offseason after signing Dillard. “I remember him coming out in ‘19. We had him in the building and, going back through our notes and watching film on him, very similar to what we saw. Very athletic, can play multiple positions. Just his athleticism stood out.”
If, for the sake of this conversation, we assume that Jordan Morgan is going to continue playing guard, then in terms of tackle options on the roster behind Zach Tom and Rasheed Walker, Green Bay has Kadeem Telfort and Travis Glover–that’s it.
Bringing Dillard bad doesn’t stop the Packers from adding to the offensive tackle position either, but it does provide them with at least some insurance at that backup spot heading into the draft and training camp. It’s also not as if Dillard is going to break the bank either. His contract last year with Green Bay was a league-minimum deal worth $1.125 million with no guarantees.
The best-case scenario is that he competes, bolsters the depth, and again makes the 53-man roster on a very inexpensive contract. The “worst-case” scenario–and that’s a relative term–is that whether it be Glover, Telfort, or a new addition, someone beats him out during training camp for a roster spot, and the Packers let him go with little to no salary cap ramifications.
Why the Packers won’t re-sign Andre Dillard
We’ve seen Brian Gutekunst cycle through veteran tackles throughout the years during the free agency period. Before there was Dillard, the Packers also had Rick Wagner and Jared Veldheer. If there is an opportunity out there to potentially find an upgrade, as he should, Gutekunst will go that route.
From the outside perspective after last season, given Dillard’s lack of playing time, it’s difficult to know what level of confidence the coaching staff has in him if he were to be called upon.
While Dillard has the draft pedigree and the athleticism teams covet, the last time he saw extended action during the 2023 season in Tennessee was not good. In just 331 pass-blocking snaps, he allowed 41 pressures and 12 sacks, according to PFF. Out of 86 eligible offensive tackles that season, Dillard ranked 85th in pass-blocking efficiency, and he was also a below-average run-blocker by PFF’s metrics as well
Now, the hope is that a change of scenery and a new scheme could help elevate his play, and perhaps to some degree, that did take place. I mean, he was on the roster all year. But the difficult part of this evaluation and prediction is that we saw very little of Dillard, so we don’t truly know how his play was viewed by the coaches.
It’s also worth pointing out when having this conversation that we all know how important versatility is to the Packers when it comes to offensive line play. At the tackle spot, specifically off the bench, that means having the ability to play both the right and left sides, but that was an area Dillard struggled with during training camp.
“I think we just gotta keep working him on both sides,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich last summer. “He looks a lot better on the left side. He struggled a little bit on the right side. Us as coaches, we gotta make sure we put him over there on the right side to make sure he feels comfortable playing over there. It’s a new scheme. Just like anything, new terminology, some different techniques and things like that. You just gotta keep working at it and we’ll keep coaching him up.”
An upgrade, a younger player, and improved versatilty are all realistic reasons that the Packers look elsewhere this offseason when attempting to bolster their tackle depth.
Prediction: The Packers re-sign Andre Dillard
Flip a coin with this one.
Like I said, our insight when it comes to this prediction is limited. However, I went with keeping Dillard primarily because of the current state of the Packers’ offensive tackle depth.
Re-signing Dillard is an insurance policy that gives the back end of that position group a boost in competition and in experience before the NFL draft arrives. A camp battle for the swing tackle role between Glover, Telfort, and a rookie–depending on where that rookie was taken–can come with obvious risks, just given the overall unknown around those players.
The fact that Dillard was on the roster all year is perhaps the most telling thing that we have when it comes to how he was performing on the practice field.
In addition to that important element–experienced depth–as I’ve already mentioned, this is another league-minimum deal with a minimal salary cap impact and in no way does it alter how the Packers approach the draft or the rest of free agency.
This might be one of those signings that doesn’t happen until we are a few weeks in, and Gutekunst sees how the offensive tackle market has taken shape.