Packers free agency predictions: Will CB Eric Stokes return?

Paul Bretl | 2/21/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — In the coming weeks, I will take 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 cornerback Eric Stokes 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

Why the Packers will re-sign Eric Stokes?

Why would the Packers bring back Stokes? I think one of the biggest reasons is the general uncertainty right now at the cornerback position and the lack of experience on the roster.

Jaire Alexander might have played his final snap in a Packers uniform, and if that ends up being the case, the Packers are currently left with Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Kamal Hadden, Kalen King, Kaleb Hayes, and Isaiah Dunn at cornerback. Beyond Nixon and Valentine, Dunn’s 116 career defensive snaps over four seasons is the most among the rest.

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So Stokes’ experience alone is quite valuable given the current outlook of the Packers cornerback position. And his potential return shouldn’t stop Brian Gutekunst from continuing to add to this position, but his return does provide Green Bay with some insurance and added stability at the position.

While it was a bit of a rocky start to the 2024 season for Stokes, as he got more comfortable in Jeff Hafley’s scheme his play really started to pick up in the latter half of the year. From Weeks 12-17, Stokes surrendered only seven completions on 15 targets over his last six games. During that span, out of 74 eligible cornerbacks, Stokes’ completion rate of 46.6% is the second-lowest, according to PFF.

“It’s been good,” said Stokes of his play at that time. “Finally getting more comfortable and more comfortable as the weeks go on with the scheme, technique and little stuff and just getting more comfortable as the weeks go on.”

Even when Stokes surrendered a reception in 2024, he’d been able to limit the damage, allowing just 10.0 yards per catch this season. A big difference for him, in what had been a tale of two seasons after allowing a completion rate of 68% through the first nine games, was the confidence he was playing with as he adjusted to his role within the scheme.

“It was just a lot of little things — just getting used to the technique, getting used to some of the other little things all over, and some of the routes and some of the things that we’re getting,” said Stokes on adjusting to Hafley’s defense. “I just had to get used to it, and now I pretty much know what type of defense we run, everybody knows, so we pretty much get hit with the same things over and over, so then you start picking up on it.”

For a position group that currently has its share of question marks, Stokes gives you starting potential, added competition and, at worst, experience off the bench. The floor of the cornerback room is raised with Stokes back on the team, and there’s value in that, given the unknowns at such a key position right now.

“He’s a really good talent, he’s getting better, he’s worked his butt off, he comes in the building (and is) the same guy every day, and he’s been a guy that’s just punching the clock and trying to get better at his craft,” said pass game coordinator Derrick Ansley. “And he’s done that. He practices the right way—runs to the ball, works on his technique, and he’s playing a little bit better going forward.”

Why the Packers won’t re-sign Eric Stokes

For the reasons mentioned, I do think there is a path where the Packers would like to have Stokes back. However, I wouldn’t expect that to be on a lucrative or long-term deal either.

Stokes’ trip to UW-Madison last offseason did pay-off for him as he was able to remain healthy for the 2024 season. However, the two years prior, he did play in just 12 combined games, which is something to be mindful of.

In addition to that, Valentine really took control of the second starting boundary cornerback job late last season, with Stokes playing just six total defensive snaps in the final two games of the season. And while Stokes’ play improved over the course of the season, the lack of ball production does make one wonder how sustainable that is. According to PFF, Stokes hasn’t had an interception or even a pass breakup since his rookie season in 2021.

Put all of that together, and I think Stokes will get more money and contract years on the open market elsewhere. Although his play on his rookie deal in Green Bay didn’t pan out as hoped, we’ve seen over and over throughout the NFL, that high draft pedigree players, which Stokes is as a former first-round pick, with elite traits, which Stokes possesses, running a sub-4.3 second 40-yard dash, get additional opportunities.

Prediction: The Packers won’t re-sign Eric Stokes

The biggest reason for me with this prediction is that I think Stokes, as a former first-round pick, who overall, did have good numbers last season, gets a bigger deal elsewhere.

Perhaps not to the extent that we saw at the safety position in 2024, since Nixon and Valentine are returning, but it feels like at cornerback this offseason, the Packers are at a fork in the road, so to speak, and have to hit the reset button to a degree.

So I would not be surprised if we see the Packers make an addition at cornerback in free agency and then we see Brian Gutekunst spend at least one and maybe even two draft picks on the position as well. This strategy then reduces the need to re-sign Stokes, and that coupled with the reasons mentioned above, results in what I’m guessing would be more team-friendly contract if the Packers were to make Stokes an offer.

Packers salary cap overview: Where do things stand heading into free agency

Paul Bretl | 2/20/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — With the news that the NFL’s salary cap will be taking another big jump in 2025, how does that impact the Packers’ plans and where they stand relative to the rest of the NFL?

On Wednesday, Dan Graziano of ESPN reported that this year’s salary cap will fall between $277.5 million and $281.5 this season. With last year’s salary cap being at $255.4 million, that’s a year-to-year increase between $22.1 million and $26.1 million depending on where the final figure falls.

Over the Cap has since adjusted its figures to account for where this new salary cap range lies. Choosing the middle of that aforementioned range above, the Packers are currently projected to have $49.14 million in available cap space this offseason. Compared to the rest of the NFL, this ranks as the 13th most.

“I feel really good,” said Brian Gutekunst about the Packers’ salary cap situation after the season. “Russ (Ball) does a fantastic job with our cap and all the decisions we’ve made over the past few years has put us in the situation where we’re in pretty good shape right now. Again, we’ve got to keep making good decisions, and it’s never a one-year thing. You’re looking at two, three years down the road as far as how these things impact things.

“We have a lot of good players that are under rookie contracts right now, and we’ve got to make sure we’re able to extend those guys when that time comes, but I feel really good our ability to go do what we need to do to field a championship-level team.”

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Now, that $49.14 million in cap space isn’t what the Packers have to spend this offseason. There are other cap costs coming down the pipeline that will require space. This includes signing the incoming draft class, which by OTC’s projections, will cost roughly $3.1 million in additional cap space.

Green Bay will also have to construct their practice squad, leave cap space for any in-season spending, and account for the contracts of the 52nd and 53rd players on the roster (the offseason cap figure only takes into account the top 51 contracts), among other items.

Ken Ingalls, who independently tracks the Packers’ cap situation, projects that those additional costs will account for another $12.9 million in cap space. So, we put that $12.9 million figure with the $3.1 million needed to sign the draft class, and what the Packers have available to spend this offseason isn’t $49.14 million, it’s closer to $33.1 million instead.

Like every other team, the Packers have the ability to create more room if needed. This is done primarily via three different avenues: a veteran cut, a contract restructure, or in some instances, an extension.

When a player’s cap hit is larger than their dead cap hit, the team can benefit from salary cap savings by moving on from that player. The cap hit is the player’s salary cap impact if on the team, and the dead cap hit is the player’s salary cap impact even if they are playing elsewhere. Dead cap is essentially dollars that have already been paid to the player, but have not yet counted towards the salary cap.

An example of this for the Packers this offseason would be Jaire Alexander, whose future with the team is up in the air. If Alexander is a Packer in 2025, his cap hit is $24.95 million. But if released, his dead cap hit is $18.11 million. So that’s still a large chunk of cap space being devoted to Alexander even if he’s on a new team, but compared to the cap hit, the Packers actually create an additional $6.8 million in space by moving on from him.

An added wrinkle to this is a player can be designated as a post-June 1st release. In Alexander’s instance, if the Packers went that route, their cap savings in 2025 would be $17.07 million. The downside is that in the above scenario, Alexander is completely off the salary cap books in 2026. In this instance, the dead cap hit is spread out, so while it’s less in 2025, creating more cap savings now, Alexander would still count towards the 2026 salary cap at $7.87 million.

For the Packers, given that they have a number of cap hits in 2026 taking big jumps, I would guess that if they move on from Alexander, they’ll want to take on all the dead cap this year and get that deal off the books.

Another path for creating cap space is with a contract restructure–something we saw the Packers do often during the 2021 and 2022 offseasons. This is the ‘kicking the can down the road’ method, where a team takes cap charges from the current year and pushes them to future years.

Ideally, this is done when a player has multiple years left on his deal. There is obviously a ton of nuance to this, but in short, one way to accomplish this is by taking a portion of a player’s base salary, where 100% of that amount counts towards the current year’s cap, and converting some of it to a signing bonus, which can be pro-rated over the remaining life of the deal.

A very rudimentary example would be if a player has a $10 million base salary with three years left on his deal. The team could take $6 million of that and convert it to a signing bonus, allowing them to push $2 million to 2026 and $2 million to 2027, with $2 million staying behind in the current 2025 year.

The benefit to the team is that they just decreased that player’s cap hit in 2025 by $4 million. The downside, however, is that those cap charges pushed to future years don’t just disappear either. Now, the player’s cap impact in 2026 and 2027 has increased.

There are also void years that can be utilized in contract restructures, and again, was a tool Brian Gutekunst used during those 2021 and 2022 offseasons. In short, void years are dummy years added to a contract for salary cap purposes. These years are not a contract extension with the player’s deal still coming to an end at the original agreed upon time.

Instead, this is a book-keeping measure that, on paper, adds more years to a contract for cap charges in a restructure to be pushed to, thus further lowering the cap hit in the current year. But, as always, where there is give, there is take. When the player’s contract expires, the cap charges that were pushed to the void years accelerate and come due on the current year’s books, leaving behind a dead cap hit. 

Gutekunst said after the season that he likes where the Packers are at cap-wise currently. Over the last two years, the team has finally gotten out from those past restructures and the dead cap from other contracts. So restructuring deals is not something that the Packers will do just for the sake of it because, as described, there are then cap ramifications down the road to deal with that reduces future flexibility. But, for the right player, if available to the Packers in free agency, Gutekunst is always willing to make the necessary back-end moves to facilitate the acquisition.

“Certainly we’d love to be in that situation every year where you have a lot of flexibility to do what you need to do,” Gutekunst said. “I think depending on the opportunities that are out there and your football team or where you’re at can dictate some of that. Again, I think whenever there are players like X or Josh that are out there, which isn’t very often, I think even if you don’t have great flexibility, you have to really consider adding those kind of players because there’s just not that many of ’em.

“So again, I feel really good where we’re at right now, would love to stay in that kind of flexibility year to year. We’ll certainly try to do that, but at the same time if we kinda have to do some different things because we have an opportunity to acquire a player that can impact our team like these two guys did, we’ll do it.”

However, something to keep in mind when it comes to restructures, and what could reduce the Packers’ willingness to utilize this avenue this offseason is that in 2026, OTC has the Packers with the eighth-lowest available cap space. As SI’s Bill Huber points out, the cap hits for several high profile players, including Jordan Love, Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark, Xavier McKinney, Elgton Jenkins, and Josh Jacobs, all take relatively big jumps next offseason and account for a fairly big slice of the Packers’ salary cap pie.

The last path for creating can space can come via an extension. In a somewhat similar fashion to a restructure, with new years and new dollars added on to a current contract, teams can use this as an opportunity to package some of the current year’s cap charges and push them into the future years now that there is a longer contract runway.

One example here would be Jenkins, who has two years left on his deal, although we know that the Packers aren’t ones to just hand out third contracts. Zach Tom could be an extension candidate as well, but the 2025 cap savings potential is fairly low, given that he’s a fourth-round pick still playing on his rookie deal.

Really, any time between now and when free agency begins, we could see the Packers and Gutekunst begin making any of these cap moves, if that is in fact something they intend to do. Green Bay’s willingness to go down one or several of these described paths depends on how aggressive they want to be in free agency. Given that they are in fairly good salary cap standing, unlike in past years, I wouldn’t say that creating more cap space is a must this offseason.

“I think I view every offseason that we have to attack it aggressively,” said Gutekunst. “The opportunities that present themselves, whether that be free agency or trade, are different every year. Every year there’s not going to be a Josh Jacobs or an Xavier McKinney out there to go get.

“So we’ll see kinda what transpires through the free agency class – who gets re-signed, who doesn’t, if there’s salary cap casualties, if there’s trade opportunities, all those. But I think we always operate under the aggressive mindset, but we have a process that we go through and we’ll see what’s available. If it’s right for us, then we’re going to attack it. If they’re not there, it’s not there.”

Packers free agency predictions: Does TE Tyler Davis return?

Paul Bretl | 2/19/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — In the coming weeks, I will take 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 tight end Tyler Davis 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

Why the Packers will re-sign Tyler Davis

Tyler Davis has unfortunately suffered season-ending injuries in August of each of the past two seasons. In 2023, it was an ACL injury and a shoulder injury in 2024.

“Just some bad luck,” said Davis after the 2024 season. “Worked really hard to get back and I’ve worked really hard to get back this year too. It’s not like it’s a foreign process to me. I’m putting everything into this rehab like I did the last one. Made the best of the worst. Everything’s moving in the right direction.”

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Rewinding to the 2022 season, Davis had carved out roles on this Packers team. On offense, he was utilized primarily as a blocker, but he does have the athletic upside to be more than just a traditional in-line blocking tight end. We saw this during training camp last season prior to his shoulder injury, where he was filling the H-back role and being moved around the formation.

Davis biggest impact, however, came on special teams where he led the team in snaps during the 2022 season, and played across five of the six different phases. Whatever role Rich Bisaccia needed Davis to fill, he did so, and did it well.

“To some degree, we lost our right hand,” said Bisaccia in August of 2023. “He’s an exceptional special teams player, someone you can count on in every critical situation. I haven’t gotten very comfortable with not having Tyler Davis.”

So why would the Packers bring Davis back?

For one, while Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave are at the top of the tight end depth chart, there are still two roster spots available and Davis can provide competition for Ben Sims and John FitzPatrick. While PFF’s grading system is far from the be-all-end-all in terms of evaluation, for what it’s worth, Sims ranked 59th out of 84 tight ends in run-blocking grade and FitzPatrick often played just a few snaps per game.

Again, rewinding to training camp last summer, I thought Davis was the better and more consistent blocker compared to Sims at that time. Then there is the special teams value that he brings and from a contract standpoint, this is a low-risk move for the Packers. Davis’ next deal will likely be around league-minimum and come with little guarantees making it easy to get out of if he doesn’t make the 53-man roster.

But in addition to all of that, and not to be overlooked, Davis means a lot to that tight end room as well. Over the last two seasons, as he’s rehabbed from those injuries, Davis has continued to be a steady presence around this Packers team.

“When you have two season-ending injuries like that, you can fold-up your (expletive) and pack it up and go home or you can go to work like he does every single day and continue to progress and get better and be a good teammate,” said Tucker Kraft of Davis. “He is the same guy every day and that’s what you got to love about Tyler Davis.”

Why the Packers won’t re-sign Tyler Davis

After two season-ending injuries with Davis not having seen an NFL regular season snap since 2022, there is certainly some unknown when it comes to what to expect from him moving forward.

Couple that with Davis being 28 years old this season and, in the past, having a limited role on offense, the Packers could choose to roster younger, more high-upside players at the tight end position. Oftentimes, when it comes to these back-end roster spots–and we’ve seen Brian Gutekunst do this often with players like Kadeem Telfort, Caleb Jones, Brenton Cox and others–teams want developmental talent in order to take a swing on turning that potential into a future contributions.

As we look at the Packers’ current 90-man roster, they already have six tight ends as well. So adding Davis to the mix makes seven, and that’s a hefty tight end depth chart numbers-wise, even for OTAs and training camp where expanded rosters are needed. Is the trickle-down effect of having that many tight ends then reduce the Packers’ willingness to add a late-round pick or UDFA to the mix?

In what is a well-established room with Kraft leading the way, the Packers using a back-end roster spot for a veteran in Davis, who has a niche role on offense and is a core special teams contributor over the upside and potential of a younger player is a bit against the grain when it comes to how we’ve seen Gutekunst operate.

From a roster-building standpoint, would Gutekunst take one year of Davis over the future upside of a younger player like FitzPatrick, for example, when it comes to trimming the roster to 53 players? There’s a balance to walk in that regard, when it comes to short-term contributions versus potential long-term upside.

Prediction: Packers re-sign Tyler Davis

The fact that the Packers already have six tight ends on the roster, coupled with where Davis is at in his career relative to how we’ve seen Gutekunst construct rosters previously, the unknown that comes after missing time, and the relatively smaller role he’s played previously, all of that does give me some hesitation with this prediction. However, the reasons to re-sign him end up out-weighing the reasons not to.

While not everything, I do think his locker room presence within that tight end position does factor in. As mentioned, although we don’t know how quickly he can return to form after missing all that time, he has the ability to really push Sims for playing time, and when it comes to unlocking more opportunities for Kraft within the offense, the Packers need a stronger blocking presence at the tight end position outside of what Kraft provides.

Then there are the special teams contributions, which can’t be overlooked with Bisaccia as the special teams coordinator. And lastly, the contract. As I highlighted already, there’s really no risk for the Packers to bring him back with Davis’ deal coming with minimal salary cap impact and being one that will be easy to get out of if Green Bay releases him.

Re-sign, let go and prediction: Packers free agent IDL TJ Slaton

Paul Bretl | 2/18/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — In the coming weeks, I will take 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 defensive tackle TJ Slaton will return for the 2025 season. If you missed our other previews, you can find them below:

Eric Wilson
Isaiah McDuffie
Robert Rochell

Why the Packers will re-sign TJ Slaton

Although the defensive front would struggle to consistently get after the quarterback last season, the Packers were one of the better teams against the run. Green Bay finished the season ranked third in fewest yards per rush allowed, they ranked sixth in ESPN’s run-stop rate, and the Packers gave up fewer than 100 rushing yards per game for the first time since 2009.

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Often in the middle of that run defense unit was Slaton. With Slaton’s role, he isn’t always going to fill up the stat sheet, but when Slaton is playing well, his teammates can feel his presence. With the space he takes up and the blockers he can occupy, that can help open up opportunities for other defenders to make plays.

“The way he’s getting off the ball at his size and how disruptive he can be and penetrate, he’s hard to block,” said Jeff Hafley last season.

Slaton finished the season with 14 pressures and a sack as a pass rusher, along with 32 total tackles, two of which were for a loss. According to PFF’s advanced metrics, out of 153 eligible interior defenders, Slaton ranked 26th in run-stops and he was tied for 22nd in run-stop rate.

“He’s intentional in practice, he works hard, how he handles the meetings,” said former defensive line coach Jason Reborvich.

At 6-5 – 330 pounds, the Packers don’t have an obvious replacement for Slaton’s role on their roster already. Slaton also contributed 158 special teams snaps last season, playing on both field goal units.

Why the Packers won’t re-sign TJ Slaton

As described, the run defense for the Packers was quite good last season, but the pass rush was not. Adding to the defensive front is an item that will have to be on GM Brian Gutekunst’s to do list.

However, whether it be draft capital or salary cap space, there are only so many resources and roster spots to go around–and re-signing Slaton takes away from both of those. It’s also not as if the defensive front is the only need that has to be addressed either.

If Slaton were to return, Green Bay still has Kenny Clark, who obviously isn’t going anywhere, and three players still on rookie deals in 2025 in Devonte Wyatt, Karl Brooks, and Colby Wooden. That’s already five players accounted for on the potential future 53-man roster without another addition made and keeping six defensive tackles when the in-game rotation isn’t that deep is going to take away from another position group.

Now, having said that, my point in that example isn’t that the Packers should keep the status quo or that playing time from 2024 to 2025 won’t be altered for some. But instead, re-signing a rotational veteran who played 39% of the defensive snaps in 2024, which then in turn may require the Packers to part ways with a player on their rookie deal is a concept that just very much seems to go against the grain when it comes to Gutekunst’s roster building approach.

This also happens to be a very loaded defensive line draft class. Daniel Jeremiah recently released his first top 50 prospects big board and included were a whopping 16 defensive linemen. So the Packers will have the opportunity to add high-end talent at this position through the draft, giving them a defender on a rookie deal and a potential upgrade as well, given the talent level of this year’s class.

Prediction: The Packers don’t re-sign TJ Slaton

I did initially go back and forth a bit on what to choose here. But the tipping point for me is that re-signing Slaton seems to go against how Gutekunst typically builds out his roster.

As I just mentioned, with the draft class at the defensive tackle position being incredibly deep, that allows for Gutekunst to not only add another valuable rookie deal to the roster, but he should find some immediate impact help as well to replace Slaton. Not that I anticipate Slaton’s next deal breaking the salary cap bank, but there’s certainly more value in having a rookie contract on the books for the next several years.

In addition to that, keeping Slaton and still making an addition–which has to happen–creates a logjam if we fast-forward to the construction of the 53-man roster. And while competition has been a catalyst behind the Packers’ success the last few years and can’t be forgotten about, choosing to give Slaton a new deal to then, in turn, move on from someone on a rookie deal doesn’t exactly align with how Gutekunst operates. Or if the Packers went heavy number-wise at defensive tackle–just to list someone as inactive on gamedays–that then means going light elsewhere.

For the right player, you’ll navigate the aforementioned scenario. But I don’t know that a rotational run defender fits into that category.

And something worth noting is that while we saw Jeff Hafley’s ability to adjust and adapt on display last season, Slaton’s size isn’t a prototypical fit for this defensive scheme.

While at different positions, we did see Gutekunst take a similar approach last offseason with the offensive line with Jon Runyan. He would end up signing with the Giants in free agency and the Packers were comfortable with that, knowing they had Sean Rhyan on the roster and then they used a first-round pick on Jordan Morgan. Perhaps we see a similar approach at defensive tackle.

Re-sign, let go and prediction: Packers free agent CB Robert Rochell

Paul Bretl | 2/17/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — In the coming weeks, I will take 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 cornerback Robert Rochell will return for the 2025 season. If you missed our other previews, you can find them below:

Eric Wilson
Isaiah McDuffie

Why the Packers re-sign Robert Rochell

The Packers under Rich Bisaccia call the special teams unit the ‘wefense’ because it takes everyone to contribute to that unit. Offensive players, defensive players, some starters, and backups. But the Packers also have a few core–this is their job–special teams players, and Rochell fits that mold.

The 2024 season was Rochell’s second with the Packers after spending his first two season with the LA Rams as a former fourth-round selection in the 2021 NFL draft. He began the year on the practice squad but the Packers quickly burned through his three practice squad elevations in the first five games in order for him to help out on special teams.

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Then coming out of the bye week, Rochell was signed to the 53-man roster. In total, he would play 124 special teams snaps last season and did so across four different phases. Where you can see Rochell’s impact the most is on the punt coverage team as a flier, which included a fumble recovery this past year, but also playing a key role in helping punter Daniel Whelan rank seventh in punt return rate in 2024.

“As far as Robert goes, every time he’s up, he plays well for us,” said Rich Bisaccia during the season. “He plays in all four phases, does a really good job. He’s physical, he can run, he’s really smart. We play him at multiple positions.”

Rochell has played only seven defensive snaps over the last two years in Green Bay. But while the focus this time of the year is on the high-impact additions, teams also need to build out their 90-man rosters as well.

When it comes to the cornerback position specifically, there are unknowns for the Packers. Eric Stokes is a free agent and Jaire Alexander could end up playing elsewhere. That leaves the Packers with Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, and four other young and inexperienced players in Kamal Hadden, Kalen King, Kaleb Haynes, and Isaiah Dunn.

Depth is needed, and by re-signing Rochell, you get a player that, at the bare minimum, can be one of your key contributors on special teams–and there is plenty of value in that, especially for a player who probably won’t command much more than the league minimum.

Why the Packers won’t re-sign Robert Rochell

With the Packers having to address cornerback this offseason by having to spend either some premium draft or salary cap capital on the position, perhaps GM Brian Gutekunst also uses this as an opportunity to hit the reset button, to a degree on the position.

And what I mean by that is, instead of re-signing a veteran player like Rochell who, while he can help on special teams hasn’t contributed on defense, the Packers instead opt to infuse this position group with more high upside potential. To a much greater extent than what I’m suggesting, we saw Gutekunst do this last offseason with the safety position.

The downside is that, potentially, in the short term, the special teams contributions take a hit as the Packers rely on possibly more inexperienced players. But the upside is the hope that Green Bay is taking a swing at landing more help on the defensive side of the ball.

When it comes to building out a roster, Gutekunst has often churned the back end of the depth charts is search of more high-upside players. With the cornerback room likely going under some sort of makeover this offseason, there is the potential for him to go that route here, which may mean letting Rochell hit free agency.

Prediction: Packers re-sign Rochell

The Packers have several other positions of need that they have to address, including defensive end, defensive tackle, wide receiver, and the offensive line.

Resource-wise, in terms of salary cap space and draft picks–which there isn’t an abundance of this year–the Packers have the means to upgrade their starting cornerback position, but I’m not sure the ability to revamp the back-end of the depth chart with players outside of late-Day 3 picks is available to them. Or another way of saying this: unlike at safety a year ago, I don’t anticipate there being a big free-agent addition and two early to mid-round picks spent solely on the cornerback position.

So if that’s the case, there is value in re-signing Rochell. Rather than completely diving into the unknown, the Packers know what they have in Rochell, who, like I said, at a minimum is a special teams contributor and also is familiar with Jeff Hafley’s defense.

Now, this doesn’t mean that Rochell is going to make the 53-man roster–I’m sure the hope is that Kalen King could elevate into a larger role in Year 2. But bringing Rochell back provides the Packers with insurance and it’s a low risk move. At what I’m guessing is a near league-minimum deal with little to no guarantees, if the Packers did move on from Rochell, the cap impact would be almost nothing.

“We get a contribution every time Scoota’s (Rochell) up,” Bisaccia said. “Every time Double-Deuce is up, he plays well for us.”

Re-sign, let go and prediction: Packers LB Eric Wilson

Paul Bretl | 2/14/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — In the coming weeks, I will take 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 linebacker Eric Wilson will return for the 2025 season. If you missed our first free agency preview on Isaiah McDuffie, you can find that here.

Why the Packers will re-sign Eric Wilson

This past season was already Wilson’s third with the Packers as he repeatedly signs one-year deals to remain with the Packers. His role on defense increased slightly from 2022 to 2023 as needed, but he was often a key figure at the linebacker position, playing 559 snaps this past year.

He’s been a reliable tackler, was quite effective as a pass rusher, and has been a nice complement to Isaiah McDuffie off the bench, who’s at his best against the run, while Wilson was often tasked with handling the more obvious passing situations when needed.

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In addition to the defensive contributions, Wilson has led the Packers in special teams snaps for each of the last two years, and for what it’s worth, he’s graded out well in that regard by PFF’s grading system. Out of the six phases on the special teams unit, Wilson is a steady contributor in five of them.

“The No. 1 thing with Eric, he’s in supreme physical condition,” said Rich Bisaccia. “I think he never loses focus in practice because he’s tired for any reason. He never loses focus in the game. He’s able to play multiple positions. He never loses focus whether it’s in practice or in a game, never loses concentration and he’s able to just do all those things at a really high level.”

So for those reasons alone, I think that would be enough to justify why the Packers would re-sign him. Wilson provides experienced depth off the bench–a reliable presence that the team can lean on if needed–and he’s a core special teams contributor.

But here might be the biggest reason the Packers bring back Wilson: who is the backup Mike linebacker without him?

When Quay Walker missed time last season, we saw Wilson not only step into that role but fill it quite well. There is a lot that falls on the Mike linebacker’s plate. That player is responsible for relaying the play to the rest of the defenders, along with signaling coverages, making sure everyone is aligned correctly, making adjustments based on the offensive alignment, and so much more. All of which has to be done in those few seconds before the ball is snapped.

“When you have to tell everybody else what they’re doing and then go out and execute your job, I know that might not seem hard, but that’s not easy,” Jeff Hafley said of the Mike linebacker role. “Some of our calls can be kind of lengthy. So for him to make a tackle, get up, shake off whatever has happened, gather everybody up, tell everybody the call, hear something else, I might tell him what I think is coming to tell this guy or that guy and then line up and make a close call.

“I mean, there’s a lot that goes into that and I think he’s a veteran guy who brings a calmness and I think he’s had success doing that.”

With how good Edgerrin Cooper has been as the Will linebacker, I would think you let him continue to be really good at that job. Perhaps long-term, Ty’Ron Hopper could be a viable option here, but going from playing almost no defensive snaps as a rookie to the backup quarterback of the defense in one year seems like a big jump. And spoiler alert: I don’t think Isaiah McDuffie is coming back.

Why the Packers won’t re-sign Eric Wilson

As I just highlighted, I think for many pure football reasons, bringing Wilson back makes a lot of sense for the Packers. However, contracts and salary cap hits are apart of this equation as well.

While I would guess that the Packers would like to have Wilson back, with Walker, Cooper, and Hopper already on the roster, GM Brian Gutekunst isn’t going to overpay either for potentially the fourth linebacker on the depth chart.

It’s certainly possible that with the added defensive snaps Wilson put on tape this season, particularly when he filled in as the Mike, that another team could have some interest in bringing him in. And contract value for Wilson isn’t only about how much he’s making per year, but the length of the deal, two or three years, for example, could be a differentiator as well.

In addition to that, Wilson will turn 31 years old this season, and while often tasked with helping out in coverage, he did allow a completion rate of 83% in 2024, nearly 10.0 yards per catch, and quarterbacks had a passer rating when targeting him of 106.8. Also, out of 279 coverage snaps, Wilson had just two plays on the ball all season.

This could be one of those instances where the Packers have their firm line in the sand–probably another one-year deal–and if Wilson is offered more elsewhere, Gutekunst then pivots to find another Wilson-like addition in free agency. A younger veteran presence with experience on both defense and teams who comes with a minimal cap impact on a one-year deal.

Again, with Walker, Cooper, and Hopper, this isn’t a position the Packers are going to overpay at.

Prediction: Packers re-sign Eric Wilson

I think for the special teams ability that Wilson brings to the table, and perhaps more importantly, Wilson’s ability to be the backup Mike linebacker, are the primary reasons that he returns for another season with the Packers.

I mentioned in my McDuffie prediction that re-signing him could potentially elongate Hopper’s learning curve, but I don’t see that being an issue with Wilson, who is at a different point in his career than McDuffie is. By the end of last season, Wilson was the fourth linebacker on the depth chart from a defensive perspective, so if the Packers believe Hopper is ready to step into a larger role this upcoming season, I don’t believe Wilson being on the roster stops that from happening.

As far as Wilson’s contract goes and potentially earning more elsewhere, all it takes is one team to really want him to pry him away from the Packers–and for all the reasons discussed, that team could very well be out there. But having said that, I think Wilson’s value is greater to the Packers than just about any other team, and the contract will reflect that.

“Eric, he’s just a consistent person,” said Matt LaFleur late in the season. “He’s very regimented in terms of his approach. I think that you don’t look like that if you’re not disciplined. He’s just consistent. That’s the best way I can describe him. He just goes out there and executes, and he does it in two phases of the game, he does it on defense and then on teams as well.”

Re-sign, let go and prediction: Packers LB Isaiah McDuffie

Paul Bretl | 2/13/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — In the coming weeks, I will take 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.

To kick things off, let’s start with linebacker Isaiah McDuffie.

Why the Packers will re-sign Isaiah McDuffie

McDuffie was a key figure in the Packers’ defense last season. His 728 snaps were the second-most at linebacker behind only Quay Walker. And while by the end of the season, Edgerrin Cooper was starting to see more playing time than him, McDuffie was still cemented in the lineup as the Packers third linebacker when lined up in their 4-3 base defense.

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Where McDuffie is at his best is against the run and at the line of scrimmage. He can shed blocks, fill gaps, and has the speed to flow sideline-to-sideline on boundary runs. McDuffie has also been a very reliable tackler throughout his career.

Beyond the defensive contributions, he’s been a regular special teams contributor for the Packers as well. This past season, McDuffie played 146 special teams snaps and did so across five different phases. In 2023, when he saw fewer snaps on defense, McDuffie played 222 special teams snaps.

“I think he’s one of the toughest guys on our team,” said Jeff Hafley last season. “Another guy who gives everything he has every play. He studies it. If you ever want to turn on one clip and look for a guy running to the ball, turn on any clip he’s in and you’ll find him when the whistles blown trying to take the ball away.”

If McDuffie is the third or fourth linebacker on a depth chart, which became the case in the second half of the 2024 season, you have pretty strong unit. He’s a special teams contributor, can step in and play significant snaps on defense when needed, and has a defined role in Jeff Hafley’s system as the strong-side linebacker when in base.

In addition to what we see on Sundays, throughout the week, McDuffie is the same player and person each week when it comes to his preparation and is always going to be flying around on the practice field. Having a player like McDuffie will raise the floor of the linebacker position group.

“He’s a guy you can count on and I would echo what Jeff says,” said former Packers linebackers coach Anthony Campanile, “he is what’s right with football. It’s still about being tough, doing your job, and he’s going to come every day coming to practice 1,000 miles an hour. You can’t wear that guy out. He’s a very prideful person, he really is a prideful person. He’s a guy like away from football you like to hang around because he’s a guy you can trust and he’s going to do his job and do the right thing all the time. It’s important to him, it’s super important to him.”

Why the Packers won’t re-sign Isaiah McDuffie

When relied on heavily on defense last season, we saw opposing quarterbacks hone in on McDuffie in coverage over the middle of the field. According to Pro Football Focus, McDuffie allowed a completion rate of 85% last season at 10.5 yards per catch. Despite being targeted 64 times, he had only three pass breakups and no interceptions. The quarterbacks’ passer rating when targeting McDuffie was also a whopping 129.6.

This includes a two-week stretch against Miami and Detroit–two offenses that attack the middle of the field heavily–where McDuffie was targeted 23 times in total and allowed 20 receptions for 209 yards and two scores. In a throwing league, if you’re the Packers, the opportunity to improve coverage-wise at the linebacker position beyond Walker and Cooper could be on their radar.

But going beyond the on-field play, because as highlighted above, I do believe there is value that McDuffie brings as the third or fourth linebacker option. The Packers did just use a third-round pick on Ty’Ron Hopper, who saw significant special teams snaps as a rookie, but was the fifth linebacker on the depth chart defensively.

So, knowing that Walker and Cooper will be the nickel linebackers and that Hopper is entering his second NFL season, are the Packers willing to hand out a new three or four-year deal, utilizing a chunk of cap space on the third linebacker and potentially prolonging Hopper’s learning curve, who like any young player needs reps right now.

I also believe that if the Packers are open to bringing McDuffie back, he could get a bigger contract elsewhere than what Green Bay would be willing to sign him to as their third or fourth option.

Prediction: McDuffie signs elsewhere

I expect McDuffie to sign with a new team this offseason. The main reasons behind that are the ones just discussed. Again, on the field, I think there is certainly value and more pros to having McDuffie on the team than not.

However, as we all know, there are other other factors. Hopper needs the opportunity to grow, and I don’t know how well that happens with McDuffie on the team. I do think McDuffie can earn more elsewhere, and given his place on this team as the third or fourth linebacker, that’s not a spot if you’re Green Bay that you’re going to put additional salary cap resources to, particularly with a second-year third-round selection already on the roster.

“Hop’s honestly, he’s had a bunch of progress,” said Campanile late in the season. “I think he understands it a little bit more than he did earlier on. I know he does. You see him in practice showing up, flying around a little bit, and then on special teams he’s made some plays.

“He’s got a few snaps in there on defense, played a little bit at the end of the Seattle game. But he’s a physical guy. I think he’s getting better every day, I really do. I’m excited about him. I’m excited where his progress is right now, and I think he’s in a good spot. I do. I think he’s progressed.”

Packers must rejuvenate play-action passing game this offseason

Paul Bretl | 2/12/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers’ usage of play-action during the 2024 season wasn’t an issue. However, the offense’s effectiveness when utilizing play-action does have to improve in 2025.

If you look at PFF’s numbers, Jordan Love ranked 24th out of 44 eligible quarterbacks in play-action dropback rate last season. By Pro Football Reference’s numbers, the Packers ranked 16th in pass attempts off play-action in 2024.

However, by the Packers’ own metrics, they utilized play-action at one of the highest-rates in the NFL last season. The difference, as Matt LaFleur described after the season, is what is defined as play-action. A ball fake to the running back is what is often associated with a play-action play, but in how the Packers define it, the movement of the offensive line–either pass setting or run blocking–is a determining factor.

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“I see something on we’re not doing play-action enough, and then I go to our analytics people and they’re like, ‘No, you’re one of the highest-ranked in terms of percentage in the league.” I think we’re like third or something like that. So I never know where these stats are coming from, to be honest with you.”

LaFleur would go on to add:

“When we’re in what we call our jet protection, which is our 6-man protection and our line is pass setting, I don’t really consider that play action. But because we slapped a ball fake on it, I think it gets marked as play-action. So, that’s why it’s so intriguing to me, quite frankly, is what is truly considered play-action? I think if you ask a defensive guy, and they see a lineman pass setting, they don’t really view that as play-action.”

However, regardless of how a play-action pass is defined, the numbers–or at least those that are available–showcase what was an inefficient Packers’ offense.

There are a lot of benefits to running play-action successfully, but two of them are that it can help open up downfield opportunities and it can also help increase a quarterback’s efficiency with the defense playing the run. But that wasn’t the case for Love.

According to PFF’s metrics, Love’s completion rate on play-action passes versus regular pass attempts was 3.1% lower. That ranked 38th out of the 44 eligible quarterbacks. His difference in yards per pass attempt was only 1.2 yards greater from play-action, and that ranked 29th in the NFL.

Not surprisingly, many of the quarterbacks who were the most efficient and effective off play-action–Baker Mayfield, Jared Goff, Sam Darnold, Lamar Jackson, and Jalen Hurts–all led top-scoring offenses last season. Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes were also just outside of the top-10.

While by the Packers’ metrics, their play-action usage was among the best, one big difference was how they utilized play-action this season.

With Josh Jacobs at running back, LaFleur mentioned that the Packers were much more efficient running out of shotgun than they were under center. We also saw more gap-scheme run blocking, with Jacobs often running between the tackles rather than the traditional outside zone blocking scheme we’ve grown accustomed to seeing under LaFleur.

“I think coaching is, you have a philosophy of what you want to do and a foundation of what you want to do, but you’d better not be so stubborn that you just – this is what we’re going to do – if you’re pieces don’t necessarily match,” said LaFleur. “I think that’s good coaching – putting your players in the best position possible.”

Behind every decision, there are pros and cons. One element that may have resulted in the Packers being a much more efficient running team out of shotgun is that this naturally can spread a defense out, creating more natural running lanes for Jacobs to take advantage of.

But on the flip side, perhaps a negative to that is the impact on play-action when running it out of shotgun. The defense is more prepared for passing plays in that situation. Whereas under center, in what can be a more condensed alignment, there is more spacing that can naturally appear on the back end to be exploited by the passing game.

“Anytime you get under center, you give those run-type formations and then throw the ball out of it, I think that’s very useful,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich late in the season. “You can really create some good sell with the offensive line and mess with the second and third level of the defense to really create the space with the play-action game.

“I think anytime you can get under center and be successful, it’s a very useful tool. Even if you’re in gun, any formations where you can make the run and the pass look the same, I think that’s what you’re always striving for.”

That, of course, is just one example of what may have contributed to an inefficient play-action passing game. But along with the shift to more running from shotgun, there are fewer play-action concepts when utilizing a gap blocking scheme over an outside zone scheme, which as mentioned above, was the case for the Packers in 2024.

“Outside zone, things kind of marry when you’re doing the outside-zone game as far as there’s certain types of play-actions and boots you can do,” added Stenavich. “Inside, there’s not as many that you really have but you can use a lot of pulling guards where you can get second-level pull and stuff like that. It just changes the types of protections you have and things like that. So, that’s just one world or the other, which one you’re living in. We like to try to live in both.”

We also know that the lack of attention to details at times by the receivers resulted in a disjointed passing game. That factor certainly could have impacted the play-action game as well.

When up against the NFC’s best teams–Philadelphia, Minnesota, and Detroit–the Packers were often trailing in those games and playing from behind is going to limit both play-action opportunities and the effectiveness of it with the defense not overly concerned about the running game and instead protecting against the big play in the second half of games.

In addition to all of that, Love’s lack of mobility for roughly half of the season may have been a contributor as well. This could limit the opportunities to operate from under center as well as any boot-action to get out of the pocket and on the move off of the play-action.

As I’m sure you can glean, there is no one answer as to why the Packers didn’t find as much success off play-action as they did year ago or as many of the other top offenses in football did.

But one of the important items on LaFleur’s offseason to-do list is to figure out how that element within the offense can regain its spark in 2025, leading to more efficient play and more big plays. What I believe is an important factor in accomplishing that will be determining what kind of running team this Packers’ offense is going to be. Is the pendulum going to swing back to more outside zone and under-center runs or is this more of a gap-scheme offense that’s going to stay in shotgun? The answer to that question will then directly impact the Packers’ play-action game.

“Do I think there’s some things that we absolutely could probably do a little bit more under center?” said LaFleur. “No doubt about it, and that’s the fun part of this. And like that is what I would say from the moment our season ends ‘til we’re going through and into training camp, that’s what you’re trying to find, is just what is the right recipe for success in this league.”

Packers DE Brenton Cox flashes sky-high potential late in 2024 season

Paul Bretl | 2/11/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers’ pass rush has to improve in 2025. However, if there was a bright spot in that regard from this past season, it was the emergence of Brenton Cox, who took advantage of the opportunities he earned and progressed as the second half of the season went along.

Cox saw his first significant playing time in Week 11, right after the Packers had traded Preston Smith to Pittsburgh. In his first four games, Cox’s production as a pass rusher was modest with five pressures and two sacks during that span.

However, like any young player getting his feet wet for the first time and experiencing a significant increase in playing time, the more reps that Cox got, the more comfortable he became, and the production really began to flow at the end of the season.

“I would say mostly just me growing within the game,” said Cox about his growth last season. “Knowing the game speed and everything, how it goes, and what it takes to really beat a great offensive tackle. I’m going to work on that in the offseason, just keep it going and hopefully don’t get too high, don’t get too low, just keep working and everything going to work out.”

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From Weeks 15-17–Cox would miss Week 18 with an injury–he recorded 12 pressures and two sacks in those three games. For some context around those figures, Cox would rank tied for 10th in total pressures over that span among all defensive ends.

In addition to that, he led all defensive ends in PFF’s pass rush productivity metric, which measures how often a defender generates a pressure relative to the number of pass rush snaps they have and it is weighted more heavily towards sacks. In terms of win rate–how often are you beating the blocker across from you–Cox ranked first in that regard as well in this stretch of games, winning nearly one-third of his matchups.

“He earned the right,” said Jeff Hafley in Week 17 about Cox, “and it doesn’t surprise me what he’s doing right now, and the beautiful thing is he’s getting better, though, because he’s getting game reps, and the jump he’s made from his first game until now that he’s actually played, we keep playing him more and more and he keeps showing up. He knows what he’s doing, he’s confident in what he’s doing, and he’s playing really fast and he’s a very talented player, and I love the way he practices every day.”

In that second half of the season, Cox had firmly cemented himself as a key member of the Packers’ pass-rush rotation and had several games where he was out-snapping Lukas Van Ness in pass rush snaps, and also played the second-most pass rush snaps at defensive end in the Wildcard game, behind only Rashan Gary.

To the outside world, there may have been some unknown around what Cox was going to do with the added opportunities that came his way after the team traded Smith. Up until that point, Cox had played just five defensive snaps over one and a half seasons with the team.

But inside the building, the Packers knew what they were going to be getting from Cox because they saw it on the practice field every day, and in part, that’s what gave them the confidence to trade Smith, knowing that Cox was ready and deserving of an increased role.

“We’ve been seeing that this whole year,” said JJ Enagbare last season about Cox. “The world’s just starting to I guess see who he is, what type of player he is. I played with him the last two years here, that’s pretty much nothing new that he’s been doing out there on the Sundays. (It’s) what he’s been doing every day throughout the week. He’s just been getting the opportunity this year.”

As is the case for any player who’s still in the process of gaining experience, there is certainly still room for growth for Cox as well. This includes as a run defender, and then the consistency to replicate that late-season production over the course of a full NFL season and against the NFL’s top opponents. In the Wildcard matchup with Philadelphia, and up against a top-tier offensive line, Cox would generate just one pressure.

One of the catalysts behind Cox’s continued ascension should be the continuity of being in Jeff Hafley’s defensive system for a second year. We often hear about a Year 2 leap for players, and while Cox is entering his third NFL season in 2025, this offseason will look different than last year for him now having a defined defensive role, knowing the defensive scheme, along with being able to hone his offseason work around what he needs to specifically do in Hafley’s defense.

“I definitely be working this offseason to improve my play in the defense. Getting more into that attacking style that coach Hafley likes and just improving my all around game.”

As a collective unit last season, the Packers’ defensive front ranked 26th in ESPN’s pass rush win rate metric. The consistency at which the four-man front is able to get after the quarterback has to get significantly better this upcoming season. As I’ve said before, the ceiling for the defense will ultimately be determined by how effective the four-man rush is at getting home.

As is always the case in football, there is no one thing that will turn this unit around. The familiarity of being in Hafley’s defense for a year and that experience will be a factor. The Packers also hired DeMarcus Covington to be the new defensive line coach. We will likely see Brian Gutekunst make an addition or two along the defensive front in the draft, given how deep that position group is and the players need to execute more consistently as well.

But now also a part of that equation is Cox. A year ago at this time we wondered if he could carve out a role on the defense. Now, I think the better question is, how big of a role is Cox going to have in 2025?

“Get stronger, faster, and more in tune with my pass rush so I can help the team more and make those plays that we need in games like that,” said Cox on where he wants to improve heading into the new season.

What Packers can learn from Super Bowl 59 matchup

Paul Bretl | 2/10/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers pass rush has to improve. We knew that as we watched the 2024 season unfold, we knew that roughly a month ago when their season came to an end in Philadelphia, and it became even more evident watching the Super Bowl.

The Eagles dominated the game and doing so began with their ability to control the line of scrimmage. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Patrick Mahomes was pressured on 16 of his 42 dropbacks, which included the Eagles generating 11 quarterback hits and six sacks as well. Even more impressive was that the Eagles created that steady pressure without blitzing one time. That was just their four man rush doing the damage.

Mahomes would finish the game 21-of-32 passing for 257 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. But those numbers don’t tell the entire story. For nearly three quarters the Chiefs weren’t just held scoreless, but couldn’t pass midfield. It was a dominant performance by the Eagles front that left Mahomes with little time, disrupting the timing and rhythm of many plays, resulting in errant throws, sacks, or nowhere to go with the ball.

When the Packers faced the Eagles’ they had similar difficulties. With the Eagles able to slow the Packers’ run game and pressure Jordan Love with only their four-man rush, it made moving the ball against Philadelphia’s two-high shell that featured seven defenders in coverage a very difficult task.

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Throughout the entire 2024 season, the Green Bay front four struggled to create steady pressure on opposing quarterbacks. In fact, it was very all-or-nothing, with the Packers front often given their overall production a boost against lesser opponents, but struggling to get home against the NFC’s best.

“Sometimes that’s just the way the NFL season goes,” said Brian Gutekunst in his end of season press conference. “I think, again, there was some transition to a new scheme, but I think we didn’t grow into that consistent front like we had hoped, but there were times that we showed it, so I know it’s capable. I think we’ve got the right guys. They’re workers in there, I think they’re all passionate about the game, they’re unselfish team guys so I expect us to get better there.”

According to PFF’s metrics, in the playoff game against Philadelphia, Jalen Hurts was pressured on 33% of his dropbacks. In the Week 17 game versus Minnesota, Sam Darnold was pressured 31% of the time and Jared Goff just 28% of the time in Week 14.

To add some context around what those numbers mean, Justin Herbert was pressured on almost 34% of his dropbacks over the course of the 2024 season, and that would rank 25th out of 42 eligible quarterbacks. A season-long pressure rate of 31% would rank 32nd and 28% would rank 38th.

When a quarterback has time in the pocket and can go through his progressions, it’s often going to be a long day for an opposing defense, specifically the secondary, who now have to routinely defend for three or four seconds–which can be a lifetime in the NFL in this regard.

So, not surprisingly, in those games against top teams where the four-man front didn’t get after the quarterback, Darnold and Goff in particular, picked apart the Green Bay defense. Darnold was 26-of-30 for 315 yards with three touchdowns from a clean pocket. Goff, meanwhile, would also 26-for-30 for 215 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

“I would say in those known passing situations, get back on track, third and medium plus, guys got to be able to win one on ones and there’s certain things you can do structurally to help create some one-on-one opportunities for our guys,” Matt LaFleur said after the season. Typically, if you put a linebacker on the ball and you space it out so that each lineman is covered, you’re going to get a 5-0, and you’ll have five one-on-ones, but somebody’s gotta win.”

The trickle-down effect of a lack-luster pass rush is not only the impact and added stressors that it puts on the secondary, but it can alter an entire gameplan. After the season, Matt LaFleur acknowledged that we didn’t truly see what he envisioned for the Jeff Hafley defense. On one hand, that’s a credit to Hafley for his willingness to adapt and adjust in an effort to find ways to be productive, given the players that he had and how the team was performing. On the other hand, it further speaks to the pass rush issues.

“I envisioned rushing four and playing three deep/four under a heck of a lot more and we ended up doing a lot of simulated blitzes and different pressures and playing a bunch of cover-2,” said LaFleur. “But I think, again, you always evolve throughout the course of the season, through the offseason, but that was the foundation, I would say, of the defense. But I thought our guys did a great job of adjusting. I thought we were playing some pretty good football at the end.”

Overall, on paper, the Packers pass rush production seems fine. They finished top 10 in sacks and were in the middle of the pack in terms of pressure rate. However, more than anything, as mentioned, that is a product of a few big games against lesser opponents. These pressures and sacks were often drummed up by Hafley through blitzes or simulated pressures to throw added eye-candy and confusion at the offense.

When it comes to the four-man front’s ability to win regularly, a more accurate portrayal of how the season went is with ESPN’s pass rush win rate metric. This measures how often a defender beats their blocker within 2.5 seconds. As a collective unit, the Packers ranked 26th in this category.

“I knew there would be a little bit,” said Gutekunst about the transition from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 defense. “I was encouraged in training camp, just because I thought we were, we were really humming in training camp at times. And then there was just some inconsistencies through the year. You know, there’s times we kind of broke out, and then there’s times we’d have these lulls where we just we just we weren’t probably playing as well as we would like. But those guys, I did liked the way they work together. And, you know, I do think we’ve got a really good group in that room.”

To help remedy what we saw in 2024, the Packers moved on from defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich this offseason and hired former New England Patriots defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington to fill this role. Before taking over as the Patriots defensive coordinator in 2024, Covington was the team’s defensive line coach and his fronts finished top-11 in pressure rate in three of his four seasons in that role.

It’s not as if the defensive front isn’t a position that the Packers have invested into heavily. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark have both received extensions somewhat recently. Brian Gutekunst has also spent first-round picks on Lukas Van Ness and Devonte Wyatt.

The hope is that in Year 2 of Hafley’s system, and with a new voice in the defensive line room that this unit can make a big jump in 2025. But with how important the pass rush is to overall success, is that something the Packers can bank on? After all, hope is not a plan.

Chances are we see the Packers continue to invest premium capital into this position group and the Eagles’ performance against Mahomes and the Chiefs is a prime example as to why the Packers should continue to do that. On the other side of the ball, the same rings true with the offensive line, who is tasked with slowing opposing pass rushes. This offseason, Josh Myers is a free agent, and right now, Sean Rhyan, Zach Tom, and Rasheed Walker are all set to be free agents in 2026.

The good news for the Packers is that this year’s draft class is absolutely loaded at the defensive line position. One of the best draft analysts in the business, Daniel Jeremiah, recently put together his initial top 50 prospect big board, and included were 16 defensive linemen.

Make no mistake about it: the Packers’ defense as a whole made big strides in Hafley’s first year at the helm. This included finishing top-10 in scoring, generating takeaways, and fielding one of the more stingy run defense units as well. But if this group is going to make a jump in Year 2, the pass rush has to improve. The name of the game is getting after the quarterback, and ultimately, how well the Packers’ four-man front does that will determine the ceiling for this unit.

“I think you’re always looking with pass rushers, you can never have enough,” added Gutekunst. “And I thought there were times this year we did that we were able to rush with four. I think every team in the league, that’s how you’d prefer to do it. Drill rush with four and affect the quarterback. There was periods of time where we didn’t do that well enough. I think everybody understands that that affects your football team.”

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