RSS Packers Team Notes

[Green Bay Packers]

The NFL will likely lean into streaming for their next broadcast rights deal

BUFFALO, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 05: Bar patrons watch the YouTube TV telecast of the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers on September 05, 2025 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images) | Getty Images

It’s no surprise that the NFL is already strategizing about its next broadcast deal, as they’re trying to get the ball rolling with the players’ union, in public, on key issues that could be obstacles to labor peace, like an 18-game season and an expanded international slate. Now, reports claim that the NFL is expecting to lean into streaming platforms on its next broadcast rights deal.

The league has an opt-out in its television deal that it can trigger as early as 2029, and the current collective bargaining agreement goes through 2030, but the NFL seems really antsy to get back to the negotiating table already. One reason? The league is pissed that NBC is paying $500 million more for their NBA deal than their deal with the shield, per John Ourand, who is one of the most reputable sources covering the financials of sports.

Here’s what Ourand said on his podcast:

Executives at the NFL are irritated. That deal irritated them. The idea that NBC is paying more for Sunday Night Basketball than for Sunday Night Football. These are people and personalities and it makes the executives at the NFL crazy that that happens.

Technically, the NFL’s broadcast contracts go through the 2033 season, but the league already wants to renegotiate pricing on the deal already signed, based on commissioner Rodger Goodell’s comments to CNBC in September.

“I think our partners would want to sit down and talk to us at any time, and we continue to dialogue with them. I like that opportunity,” Goodell said. “Obviously it’s not going to happen this year. But it could happen as early as next year. That could happen.”

…

“The reason why we felt so strongly about the option is the landscape is changing. It could be a long-term deal with the benefit of having that stability and security of it. But I think the reality of it is it changes so quickly that you want to have the ability to move. I think those options are going to give us a lot of flexibility to potentially go earlier,” said Goodell.

One of the hurdles that the NFL needed to clear before going back into negotiations has recently been solved, as federal regulators pushed through the deal for ESPN to receive NFL Network and other league-owned assets in exchange for the NFL owning a 10 percent equity stake in ESPN. This went through on January 31st of this year.

With that out of the way, nothing is stopping the NFL from approaching its broadcast partners for a renegotiation, as long as networks are willing to sit down for the conversation. From a timing perspective, the MLB has its national media rights deals coming up in 2028, and there’s been some speculation that the power conferences in the NCAA are expecting the NFL to get its new deal done before they’re on the clock in the early 2030s, too. From an NFL perspective, I’m sure that the league wants to skip both in line, considering the huge deal the NBA just received.

Ourand reported on Thursday that there is a belief within Wall Street that the NFL’s media deals can jump from $10.1 billion per year to $20 billion per year. Here’s what Ourand added to the projection of the league doubling its broadcast rights fee:

That model would likely include five games each [to Amazon, Netflix and YouTube], including the four international games the league took back from NFL Network and the two Christmas Day games that Netflix currently has for one more year.

So, how do you help double league broadcast revenue? Put 15 games, including 9 games that usually would have gone to traditional broadcast partners, on streaming platforms!

Streaming platforms, specifically, help the league get around the Sports Broadcasting Act (SBA) of 1961, which states that the NFL doesn’t have antitrust immunity if lower-level games are being played within 75 miles of a broadcasting station on Fridays (high school games) or Saturdays (college games) from the second Friday in September until the second Saturday in December. But what is a broadcasting station in 2026? If this were tested in court, would a streaming platform like YouTube be treated the same as an over-the-air network station?

The Dallas Cowboys already tested the SBA in court once and got a ruling that claimed that the SBA only applied to free over-the-air stations, not subscription television like satellite or cable. There’s been roughly a billion thinkpieces written over the years from lawyers who have claimed that the NFL should be able to win the right to broadcast at any time on any day of the week at any point in the year, if they played their games on a streaming platform (or subscription television) instead of over the air.

So why go the streaming route instead of just putting the game on cable? Well, money. Alphabet, the parent company of YouTube, Amazon and Netflix have a combined market cap of $6.2 trillion as it stands right now. Disney, the parent company of ESPN and the league’s only cable partner, is big until you compare it to other big companies. Their $188 billion market cap is only worth 3 percent of the NFL’s streaming trio. In short, the tech companies that also stream content have a lot more money to tap into than broadcast media companies.

It seems unlikely that the nine new games would be broadcast during the normal Sunday slate of action. Maybe this is how we finally get more regular weekday or Saturday NFL action. Island games are what make the league the most bang for its buck, and if they’re trying to double broadcast fees, it will almost certainly come by way of expanded primetime games.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...treaming-for-their-next-broadcast-rights-deal

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst will be speaking at the combine on Tuesday

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 27: General manager Brian Gutekunst of the Green Bay Packers speaks to the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on February 27, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur apparently won’t be making the trip down to Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine next week, but general manager Brian Gutekunst will, as he’s scheduled to talk to the press on Tuesday. Gutekunst’s scheduled time is 10:15 am Eastern on Tuesday, the second-earliest slot of the day, presumably to get it out of the way.

Gutekunst got out of holding a mid-season press conference this year, as the Packers had an early bye week and didn’t make a trade at the 2025 deadline. He spoke to the media on February 4th, a delayed end-of-the-year presser due to the timing of the team’s extensions for LaFleur, Gutekunst and executive vice president of football operations Russ Ball.

LaFleur not going to the combine is hardly a surprise at this point, since he didn’t travel in 2023, 2024 or 2025, either. The Packers often bring in many of the players that they end up drafting in April via their allotted 30 pre-draft visits, and have since the pandemic. On the surface, it doesn’t seem like the organization values those in-person prospect interviews in Indianapolis much for the coaching staff, since they make it up on the back end with prospect visits to Green Bay.

For what it’s worth, the Packers still haven’t scheduled a press conference for defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who was hired nearly a month ago. Things are going to have to move pretty quickly here, since the combine ends on March 2nd, the legal tampering period begins on March 9th and the start of the new league year (including free agency) is March 11th.

On top of that, LaFleur still needs to hire a special teams coordinator, too, after Rich Bisaccia resigned on February 17th. So far, four coaches are reported to have scheduled interviews with the Packers for the vacancy, but one has since taken a college job.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...st-will-be-speaking-at-the-combine-on-tuesday

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers special teams coordinator interview tracker

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 04: Linebacker Kyle Wilber #58 of the Las Vegas Raiders walks off the field after the team's 30-23 loss to the Buffalo Bills during the NFL game at Allegiant Stadium on October 4, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Green Bay Packers are up to four scheduled interviews for Rich Bisaccia’s replacement, after Bisaccia stepped down as special teams coordinator on February 17th. It’s time to start the interview tracker and take a look at the names that head coach Matt LaFleur is bringing in to lead the kicking game.

All of these interviews have been reported by Sports Illustrated’s Bill Huber, unless otherwise noted.

Cameron Achord (free agent)​

Seasons as special teams coordinator​

• 2020: Patriots (1st in DVOA)
• 2021: Patriots (18th)
• 2022: Patriots (32nd)
• 2023: Patriots (28th)

Cameron Achord spent the last two years with the New York Giants as the team’s assistant special teams coach, but he wasn’t retained by new head coach John Harbaugh in 2026. Achord also served in the assistant special teams coach role for two seasons (2018 to 2019) to start his NFL career before being promoted to the special teams coordinator role in New England in 2020, when he replaced Joe Judge, who was hired to be the head coach of the Giants.

Achord’s career started off hot, as the Patriots were the top team in special teams DVOA in 2020, before they averaged the 26th finish over his last three years in New England, a rarity under head coach Bill Belichick. For what it’s worth, Bisaccia’s units averaged a 21st-place finish in his four years in Green Bay.

Kyle Wilber (Saints assistant special teams coach)​

Seasons as special teams coordinator​

• None

LaFleur seems to still be interested in the Bisaccia coaching tree, as Kyle Wilber is one of his disciples. After playing for Bisaccia for nine seasons (in his ten-year NFL career) over two stops, Wilber joined the Packers as their special teams quality control coach (the third-ranked position in Green Bay’s special teams room) in 2023. In 2025, he received a promotion with the New Orleans Saints, where he was the number two to Phil Galiano. Wilber had no prior coaching experience before Bisaccia hired him to the entry-level role.

With Bisaccia gone and his number two taking the Cleveland Browns’ job a week before Bisaccia stepped down, the Packers’ opportunities to tap into the Bisaccia tree are either Wilber or Green Bay’s current quality control coach Cory Harkey.

Matthew Smiley (free agent)​

Seasons as special teams coordinator​

• 2022: Bills (1st)
• 2023: Bills (15th)
• 2024: Bills (28th)

Like Achord, Matthew Smiley’s story can be best described as a hot start before his units began slipping downhill. Before his three-year stint as a coordinator in Buffalo, Smiley was the assistant special teams coach in Jacksonville (2013 to 2016) and Buffalo (2017 to 2021).

He has not coached since the end of the 2024 season, as he wasn’t on a team in 2025 and has not signed with a club in 2026, either.

For what it’s worth, Harkey, the Packers’ number three guy under Bisaccia in 2025, was Smiley’s number two when Smiley was in the coordinator role with Buffalo.

Update: Smiley has taken the special teams coordinator job at the University of South Carolina.

Tom McMahon (free agent)​

Seasons as special teams coordinator​

• 2009-2011: Rams (NA)
• 2012: Chiefs (NA)
• 2013-2017: Colts (NA)
• 2018: Broncos (31st)
• 2019: Broncos (24th)
• 2020: Broncos (24th)
• 2021: Broncos (30th)
• 2022: Raiders (12th)
• 2023: Raiders (13th)
• 2024: Raiders (17th)
• 2025: Raiders (28th)

FTN’s DVOA rankings only date back to the 2018 season, so we don’t have data on Tom McMahon’s units with the Rams, Chiefs and Colts, but he does have 17 years of special teams coordinator experience in the NFL.

McMahon’s units in Denver were poor, with a 27.25 average, but he was solid in his first three years in Las Vegas as Bisaccia’s replacement (average placement of 14th) before the gears really slipped in 2025. McMahon was fired in November by Pete Carroll, the third head coach he served under after Josh McDaniels and Antonio Pierce. He has not taken a job for the 2026 season.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...s-special-teams-coordinator-interview-tracker

 

[Green Bay Packers]

NFL Free Agency 2026: Who are the young(er) players?

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JANUARY 25: Riq Woolen #27 of the Seattle Seahawks stands on the field during the second quarter of the NFC Championship NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, at Lumen Field on January 25, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) | Getty Images

At their core, the Green Bay Packers want to be a big, fast, young football team. This has been true for virtually my entire life (outside of Mike Sherman’s stint as general manager). Al Davis taught his approach to roster building to Ron Wolf, who took over the Packers in 1991, and passed those principles on to Ted Thompson and current Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst. It’s who they want to be, and who they have been for more than three decades now, without much change.

Don’t believe me? Take a look at the Packers’ pre-draft free agency additions during the Gutekunst-Matt LaFleur administration. All nine of their free agent signings who had an average per year (APY) worth at least four percent of the salary cap at the time of their signings (Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith, Aaron Banks, Xavier McKinney, Adrian Amos, Josh Jacobs, Nate Hobbs, Christian Kirksey and Billy Turner) were 28 years old or younger in their first year with Green Bay (based on Pro Football Reference’s data, which locks a player’s season age on September 1st of a given year).

There are a lot of older free agents on the consensus top-100 board for this class. 47 of the 100 players are going to be 29 years old or older by September 1st. Based on Green Bay’s history, the Packers won’t be the highest bidders for their services.

With post-Covid cash spending being so much higher than the salary cap, free agency classes are becoming thinner and thinner in young talent. Teams have learned how to manipulate the cap, which has improved their ability to keep their homegrown players at a much higher rate. For example, the Dallas Cowboys can create $131 million in new cap space this year just via simple restructures, without ever having to release a single player on their roster. These cap manipulation methods were seldom used before Covid, when the cap stayed flat and then actually dipped, but every club uses them now. Previously, these were mechanics reserved only for teams going on a last push with aging quarterbacks, like the late-Tom Brady New England Patriots and the Drew Brees New Orleans Saints.

Because of this phenomenon, the biggest gains in the market have been average, not good, young players, because they’re the ones actually hitting free agency and absorbing the year-to-year cap space increases. How much is a four percent share of the salary cap in today’s league? It’s around $9.1 million, which sounds like a lot, until you realize even the average starting slot defender market has pushed up to $13 million, and that’s for a part-time player. Los Angeles Rams receiver Tutu Atwell signed a one-year, $10 million contract this offseason to return to the team that drafted him four years prior. Atwell made all of six receptions for 192 yards and was a healthy scratch in the playoffs for the team. You can absolutely make eight figures in a year in this league without even being a full-time starter at this point. That’s the reality when the cap is rising, and teams are borrowing cap space from the future.

All of those $25 million per year, per team gains on the salary cap (on top of the cash spending exceeding the cap) means it’s never been better to be an average starter in this league. In 2019, the Packers paid an APY of $7 million for Billy Turner to be an average-ish tackle. Now, it’s hard to find an actual starting-caliber tackle (even if he’s average or even below average) who is going to make south of $20 million per if he hits the market.

In short, Green Bay doesn’t give out four percent of the cap contracts to older players in free agency. At the moment, basically all young starting-caliber players (outside of the specialists) get deals north of four percent of the cap because of the league’s spending habits and cap increases.

With that in mind, I wanted to break down what the top young-ish (under 29 years old) players look like at each position at the top of the free agency boards. I do not think that the Packers would be out of the running to add a 30-plus-year-old as a depth piece in free agency, but if they’re spending real money on a top-100 free agent, it’s probably going to be a young guy.

These rankings below come from our consensus free agency board, which now has data from 18 different rankings across the internet. If the Packers add a starter in free agency, it will likely come from this list.

Quarterbacks​

• 15: Malik Willis, QB (27 years old by September 1st)

Running Backs​

• 7: Breece Hall, RB (25)
• 13: Kenneth Walker III, RB (26)
• 17: Travis Etienne Jr., RB (27)
• 56: Rico Dowdle, RB (28)
• 70: Rachaad White, RB (27)
• 74: Tyler Allgeier, RB (26)
• 83: Kenneth Gainwell, RB (27)
• 87: J.K. Dobbins, RB (28)

Javonte Williams would have been a top-30 free agent in this class, per our consensus rankings, but the Cowboys just announced that he inked a three-year contract with the team on Saturday. This is your reminder that a good portion of these top free agents will be retained by their original teams, as they still have until March 11th to negotiate contract extensions prior to free agency.

Receivers​

• 1: George Pickens, WR (25)
• 6: Alec Pierce, WR (26)
• 22: Rashid Shaheed, WR (28)
• 25: Romeo Doubs, WR (26)
• 29: Wan’Dale Robinson, WR (25)

Tight Ends​

• 12: Kyle Pitts, TE (26)
• 36: Isaiah Likely, TE (26)
• 81: Chigoziem Okonkwo, TE (27)
• 84: Cade Otton, TE (27)

Offensive Tackles​

• 8: Rasheed Walker, T (26)
• 71: Braxton Jones, T (27)

Guards​

• 40: Alijah Vera-Tucker, G (26)
• 67: Ed Ingram, G (27)
• 73: Dylan Parham, G (27)
• 77: Zion Johnson, G (27)

Centers​

• 3: Tyler Linderbaum, C (26)
• 64: Cade Mays, C (27)

Interior Defensive Linemen​

• None

Edge Defenders​

• 4: Jaelan Phillips, EDGE (27)
• 14: Odafe Oweh, EDGE (28)
• 31: Boye Mafe, EDGE (28)
• 49: K’Lavon Chaisson, EDGE (27)
• 61: Kwity Paye, EDGE (28)
• 88: Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE (27)
• 90: Malcolm Koonce, EDGE (28)
• 92: Joseph Ossai, EDGE (26)

Off-Ball Linebackers​

• 9: Devin Lloyd, LB (28)
• 32: Devin Bush, LB (28)
• 37: Nakobe Dean, LB (26)
• 41: Quay Walker, LB (26)
• 54: Leo Chenal, LB (26)

Cornerbacks​

• 10: Jaylen Watson, CB (28)
• 18: Tariq Woolen, CB (27)
• 39: Nahshon Wright, CB (28)
• 50: Alontae Taylor, CB (28)
• 63: Montaric Brown, CB (27)
• 75: Eric Stokes, CB (27)
• 85: Cor’Dale Flott, CB (25)

Safeties​

• 20: Bryan Cook, S (27)
• 33: Coby Bryant, S (27)
• 35: Kamren Curl, S (27)
• 46: Jaquan Brisker, S (27)
• 48: Jalen Thompson, S (28)
• 68: Reed Blankenship, S (27)
• 76: Nick Cross, S (25)

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...-free-agency-2026-who-are-the-younger-players

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Former Packers QB will throw at the combine

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - AUGUST 16: Green Bay Packers Quarterback Taylor Elgersma (19) advances the ball during the NFL preseason game between the Green Bay Packers and the Indianapolis Colts on August 16, 2025, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Quarterback Taylor Elgersma hasn’t given up the dream of playing in the NFL. Despite Elgersma being drafted in the second round of the CFL draft and being taken by the Birmingham Stallions in the UFL draft, his eyes still seem to be set on the NFL. Elgersma, a Canadian national who played college football at the U Sports (Canada) level, not the NCAA level, got his start in professional football in 2025 with the Green Bay Packers after a successful workout at the team’s rookie minicamp. The Packers used 1 of their 30 pre-draft visits on Elgersma, making him the only quarterback who was reportedly brought in.

It has been reported by 3DownNation, which covers the CFL, and confirmed by Stallions head coach AJ McCarron, that Elgersma will be throwing at the NFL Scouting Combine next week. This isn’t uncommon for out-of-work quarterbacks, as the combine typically prefers that non-combine invite rookies or out-of-work veterans be added to the event for the throwing portion of workouts, like the receivers running the gauntlet drill, etc. This allows combine invite rookie quarterbacks to focus on their performance in specific periods of the combine, instead of having to be used constantly throughout the week’s events.

So if you’re watching the combine on Friday (defensive backs and tight ends) or Saturday (quarterbacks, running backs and receivers), you might see a familiar face out there throwing the ball.

Elgersma went 16 of 23 for 166 yards and a touchdown for a 104.6 passer rating in the preseason last summer, but was released when the Packers’ roster went from 91 players to 53. Green Bay didn’t sign Elgersma back to the practice squad, instead choosing to go the Clayton Tune route.

Since then, Elgersma has received workouts with the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins, but has not gotten a second chance with an NFL team. Still, it seems like he would much rather try to get a crack at an NFL gig, even if it’s at the practice squad level, than play in another league.

Elgersma is very valuable to the CFL, as each side of the ball in the CFL must have at least seven “national” (Canadian) players on the field at all times. The five Americans on the field usually play the more impactful positions in the CFL. So, legitimate Canadian quarterbacks who perform as well as American options in the league allow teams to play with an extra American at a non-quarterback position offensively. These Canadian quarterbacks are often called “ratio breakers” up north.

That’s why the Winnipeg Blue Bombers took Elgersma in the second round of last year’s CFL draft, despite Elgersma having NFL potential. Since then, though, the drama surrounding when Elgersma will actually end up practicing for the Blue Bombers has been a point of contention.

Here’s what Elgersma said in late January:

“Winnipeg’s not a backup for anything. I have great respect for the culture of that locker room, for what the CFL is. I don’t view it at all as a plan A or plan B.”

That’s great to hear if you’re a Winnipeg fan, but the team’s general manager apparently feels differently, based on his comments in February:

“It’s a tough one. I talked to his (CFL) agent who is a Canadian guy, and then they have an American guy (for the NFL). They’re still trying, they’re still holding out hope that there’s an NFL contract … and there’s still the UFL, so they’re figuring it out. There is zero clarity,” general manager Kyle Walters recently told the media via videoconference.

“The longer it goes, from my standpoint, I guess the worse it feels that he’ll be in Winnipeg. I guess I was hoping come February 1, if there’s no futures (NFL) contract, that he’d jump at the opportunity to sign a Blue Bomber contract, but that has not been the case. They’re still sorting things out and hoping that there’s some NFL interest on their behalf and if there is, then he gets some workouts, and maybe he gets into a camp, I think is their ideal plan.”

Beyond that, McCarron of the UFL has stated that he believes that Elgersma will end up in the UFL this season. If that happens, there will certainly be some CFL fans who will be up in arms about Elgersma’s decision.

Another hurdle that Elgersma must clear is that he needs a United States work permit, which has been an issue for some Canadian players looking to play in the UFL. Last summer, the Packers signed an Irish kicker, Mark McNamee, who dealt with a visa issue for several weeks before finally being able to join the team, for example.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...5/former-packers-qb-will-throw-at-the-combine

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers Draft: Speed at cornerback will be a premium for Jonathan Gannon

LATROBE, PA - JULY 1991: Director of Player Personnel Dick Haley (L) of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks at a stopwatch as he times players in the 40-yard dash as head coach Chuck Noll (R) looks on during practice at summer training camp at St. Vincent College in July 1991 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images) | Getty Images

New Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon hasn’t had his introductory press conference yet, and might not for a while since the NFL scouting combine player arrivals start today. Whenever he does get in front of the press for the first time, I bet you’ll hear that the defense he wants to deploy will be aggressive, fast and versatile, because it’s what every single defensive coordinator says in his introductory press conference. It might be mandatory to fill the position in the league.

The truth of the matter is that Gannon’s defenses, over two stops and five years, have played more Cover 4/Quarters than any other team in the league over this time. Do I think the front could be versatile? Yes, he sends sim pressures (four-man rushers with different players dropping or blitzing) a good amount of the time and played a 4-3 front in Philadelphia but a 3-4 front in Arizona. Ultimately, though, he wants to be able to play quarters and the change-ups are to protect that quarters-based structure.

Playing quarters means that the cornerbacks are usually going to be in off coverage positions and the outside receivers will rarely get rerouted. What does that mean? Green Bay’s cornerbacks are going to need to run really fast because they’re basically playing man coverage after about five yards, from off-coverage positions, with receivers allowed to build up steam early.

For some evidence in this direction, let’s take a look at Gannon’s most-played outside cornerbacks (per NFL Pro, the league’s player-tracking service) in his three years with Arizona.

Jonathan Gannon Cornerbacks​

• Starling Thomas: 679 snaps (4.38-second 40-yard dash)
• Max Melton: 567 (4.39)
• Will Johnson: 416 (didn’t run, estimated 4.42 by NFL Draft Scout)
• Kei’Trel Clark: 401 (4.42)
• Sean Murphy-Bunting: 385 (4.42)
• Denzel Burke: 370 (4.48)
• Antonio Hamilton: 222 (4.46)

For the first two years in Arizona, Gannon’s team had few assets, so it’s not like they were playing with a full deck there, but he still went out of his way to make sure that the cornerbacks could run. If we presume that Will Johnson runs a 4.42-second 40-yard dash, as NFL Draft Scout predicted pre-draft, then his seven most-played cornerbacks over three years averaged out to having a 4.42 speed, a number that all five of his most-played corners were able to hit.

We’ve talked about it before in previous articles, but I believe that the premier ability that the Packers should be looking for (if the front office and coaching staff are aligned) in cornerbacks moving forward will be their click-and-close ability, because it will be stressed in a quarters-based system.

–

So, who are those click-and-close cornerbacks in the upcoming draft? Let’s take a look at top-150 cornerback prospects on the consensus draft board, first hitting on guys who probably won’t be Green Bay Packers. I promise we’ll get to guys who are good fits for the team later on. We have to eat our vegetables first, though.

Probably Won’t Be There at #52​

• #11: Mansoor Delane, LSU
• #14: Jermod McCoy, Tennessee
• #21: Avieon Terrell, Clemson
• #32: Colton Hood, Tennessee
• #33: Brandon Cisse, South Carolina

Projected top-40 players are just rarely available with the 52nd overall pick, unless there are off-field or injury question marks, which the Packers typically avoid anyway. I don’t think these five will be there when Green Bay is on the clock for the first time. If they are, great. I’m just not holding my breath.

As an example, when the Packers were on the clock with the 23rd overall pick, only four projected top-20 picks were even still available: Shedeur Sanders (one of the oddest draft cases ever), Will Johnson (who had big-time injury concerns), Mike Green (who had several sexual assault accusations) and Matthew Golden. Green Bay went with Golden. The consensus board is pretty efficient (at least early), once you accept that quarterbacks, injury question player and off-field question players are where the majority of the wonkiness comes into play on draft day.

Slot Defenders, Not Cornerbacks​

• #55: Keionte Scott, Miami
• #96: Treydan Stukes, Arizona
• #143: Jadon Canady, Oregon

These players are ranked on the consensus board’s top-150 as cornerbacks, but they were already slot-only players at the college level, not exactly what the Packers are looking for with Javon Bullard and Nate Hobbs already on the team and former slot cornerback Keisean Nixon playing outside cornerback. Safety and 2024 draft pick Kitan Oladapo also dabbled in the slot last year and looked the part. You might see South Carolina’s Jalon Kilgore listed as a cornerback by some (but as a safety for most), and he’s another slot defender.

In general, the Packers should be in the outside cornerback market this offseason, considering the only meaningful one they have under contract through 2027 is Hobbs, not the slot defender market. Maybe that changes if Hobbs is moved on from at the start of the new league year.

Probably Too Small​

• #47: Keith Abney II, Arizona State (5095, 185 – estimated NFL Draft Scout)
• #60: D’angelo Ponds, Indiana (5085, 173 – estimated NFL Draft Scout)
• #83: Malik Muhammad, Texas (5117, 183 – Senior Bowl)
• #97: Chandler Rivers, Duke (5093, 185 – Senior Bowl)

Since Mike Sherman left Green Bay, the Packers haven’t drafted a cornerback under 5’10” or 194 pounds in the top-150, and their average player at the position in this range has been north of 6’0” and 197 pounds. I would be surprised if these guys were on their board at all, but Texas’ Malik Muhammad might be an exception I’d be willing to make because he does have good movement skills and is just light, not light and short.

The Rest of the Top-150 (and Their 40-Yard Dash Estimates)​

• #46: Chris Johnson, San Diego State (4.43)
• #70: Davison Igbinosun, Ohio State (4.49)
• #87: Devin Moore, Florida (4.54)
• #92: Julian Neal, Arkansas (4.59)
• #98: Will Lee III, Texas A&M (4.43)
• #107: Daylen Everette, Georgia (4.47)
• #147: Tacario Davis, Washington (4.49)

This is what the top-150 cornerbacks look like once you take into account 1) players who probably won’t be there when Green Bay picks, 2) players who play the slot, not outside cornerback and 3) players who don’t meet the team’s size specs that they’ve used for over two decades.

The estimated 40-yard-dash times are from NFL Draft Scout. Hopefully, all of these guys run in Indianapolis, so we can put their speed questions to rest at the combine.

After watching these players’ film, I think that Ohio State’s Davison Igbinosun will run faster than his projection (I’d bet he’s closer to the 4.3s than the 4.5s) and that Washington’s Tacario Davis and maybe San Diego State’s Chris Johnson will run a little slower. Otherwise, these numbers look to be in the right ballpark. For what it’s worth, some scouts think that Florida’s Devin Moore is faster than that projection, but that projection looks right to me, based on film. I guess we’re going to find out soon.

Another guy I can see running in the “Gannon range” is Alabama’s Domani Jackson, who is not listed in the top-150 (#187), since his stock has slipped a bit. Jackson is a good click and close cornerback with good movement skills (former five-star recruit who holds the California state record for the 100-meter dash), but he dealt with a rib injury this past year and apparently did not do great at the Shrine Bowl (according to both media and scouts there, I didn’t make the trip). The combine will be a big opportunity for him.

To me, the corners who fit the Packers’ scheme the best will be Igbinosun, Lee, Johnson, Jackson and Everette. If Moore runs well, throw him into the mix as well (and his stock should shoot to the roof).

–

So if you’re watching the combine this week, keep an eye on the cornerbacks’ 40-yard dash times. They will be important in this system. They should be important for the front office tasked with finding cornerbacks for this defense. If you want my thoughts on how these top-150 cornerbacks fit in with the Packers’ defense, I wrote up my preview of the position a week ago, after reviewing at least three games of their final seasons of college ball.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...nerback-will-be-a-premium-for-jonathan-gannon

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers discussion: Where in the world are our Acme Packing Company readers?

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 23: Fans cheer during the game between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on November 23, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images

We’re in that slow period between the Super Bowl and the new league year where it sometimes feels like the NFL world has ground to a halt. And that makes it a perfect time to ask: Where in the world are our Acme Packing Company readers?

We don’t want or need your address or any personal details — sharing just the state is fine, or city and state if you’d like to be more specific. Same thing if you live abroad – if you’d like to just share the country, that’s cool, and if you want to share more details like the city or region, that’s totally up to you.

Join the conversation!​

Sign up for a user account and get:

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• Create community posts
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• New, improved notifications system!

Scroll down to the comments and let us know where you are! We’ll update this list as locations are shared.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...survey-location-census-where-are-packers-fans

 

[Green Bay Packers]

When the Packers swing in free agency, they swing big

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 10: Josh Jacobs #8 of the Green Bay Packers runs the ball against the Chicago Bears during the second quarter in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at Soldier Field on January 10, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Jason Fitzgerald has just written a great article at Over the Cap, explaining what teams’ profiles are in free agency. One way to look at aggressiveness is through volume. Another way to look at aggressiveness is whether teams are signing high-priced free agents.

As Fitzgerald’s data (which is shown below in graph form) points out, these two traits are generally mutually exclusive.

This data only includes players who made at least $2 million in average per year (APY) since 2020, but the Green Bay Packers rank dead last in the league with just nine qualifying signings over six seasons. Where they do rank high, though, is APY, where they fall only behind the Los Angeles Rams, another sign-few, pay-high team in the free agency market.

This is completely inverted from the Houston Texans’ strategy, where they have signed 59 players to contracts worth at least $2 million per year over six seasons (nearly 10 per year!) but rank 31st in those players’ APY among NFL teams.

Here’s what Fitzgerald said about the Texans:

Not surprisingly the Texans ranked number 1 with 59 players signed. Houston has had a tendency to sign a number of 1 year deals in free agency and then have to continuously replace those players the next year. They led the NFL with 33 one year contracts with the next closest team at just 21. This has been a consistent trend for them each year and hasn’t changed even as the team has gotten better since the selection of CJ Stroud. This has not really been a long term viable strategy followed by most winning teams so it will be interesting to see if they try to break this or not.

It’s certainly a strategy.

The Dallas Cowboys, meanwhile, buck all trends as they have signed the eighth-fewest qualifying free agents over the last six seasons and also have signed those players to deals that rank them 32nd in APY among these qualifiers. The Packers don’t swing often, but when they swing, they swing big. The Cowboys don’t swing often and swing small.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...e-packers-swing-in-free-agency-they-swing-big

 

[Green Bay Packers]

The Packers have to spend $173 million to get to the cash floor in 2026

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 05: General manager Brian Gutekunst of the Green Bay Packers (L) and head coach Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers talk before the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Lambeau Field on November 05, 2023 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images

As part of the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the players’ union, NFL teams must average a cash spend of 90 percent of the salary cap over three years, or clubs have to redistribute that difference to the players’ union with no benefit in return to the franchise. As it stands right now, the distance the Green Bay Packers have to make up in 2026 is $173.6 million.

Minimum cash spending required for 2026 per team to meet the 90% cash spending requirement for 2024-2026.
Note, the average team cash spend for 2025 was $301.2m
A few teams have some work, but it shouldn't be a concern. pic.twitter.com/UF3gc39sbI

— Troy_OTC (@TexansCap) February 23, 2026

The Packers are set to spend $291.3 million on their players in 2026, before free agency or the draft even begins, which is already the fourth-highest rate in the league behind just the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions, so they shouldn’t be in jeopardy of falling below the three-year salary floor in 2026.

This does include $20 million going toward center Elgton Jenkins and $19.5 million for edge defender Rashan Gary, two players who will likely become cap casualties for the team. They rank third and fourth for Green Bay in terms of 2026 cash payments. Even with that extra $39.5 million in cash freed up, though, the Packers’ three-year average clears the bar by north of $78 million.

Packers Cash Payments — Projected, 2026​

1. Jordan Love, QB: $51 million
2. Micah Parsons, EDGE: $40.8 million
3. Elgton Jenkins, C: $20 million
4. Rashan Gary, EDGE: $19.5 million
5. Aaron Banks, G: $18.1 million
6. Xavier McKinney, S: $13.4 million
7. Devonte Wyatt, DT: $12.9 million
8. Josh Jacobs, RB: $11.5 million
9. Nate Hobbs, CB: $9.1 million
10. Zach Tom, T: $6.1 million
11. Christian Watson, WR: $5.8 million
12. Keisean Nixon, CB: $5 million

The 12 contracts above are the only notable veteran deals on the team. After that, the next highest-earners for Green Bay, at least until free agency, are cornerback Carrington Valentine, defensive tackle Karl Brooks, receiver Dontayvion Wicks and tight end Tucker Kraft, who have their salaries bumped up to $3.7 million in 2026 because of the proven performance escalator.

Per Over the Cap, here’s how much each team needs to spend to get to the three-year cash spend floor this offseason:

1. Los Angeles Rams: $280.5 million
2. Seattle Seahawks: $266.7 million
3. Las Vegas Raiders: $261.7 million
4. New York Jets: $240.8 million
5. New Orleans Saints: $224.1 million
6. Tennessee Titans: $222.7 million
7. Pittsburgh Steelers: $219.3 million
8. Los Angeles Chargers: $214.6 million
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $205.4 million
10. Baltimore Ravens: $200.1 million
11. Arizona Cardinals: $199.5 million
12. Indianapolis Colts: $191.8 million
13. Cincinnati Bengals: $188.0 million
14. Carolina Panthers: $184.9 million
15. New York Giants: $180.2 million
16. Washington Commanders: $179.2 million
17. Green Bay Packers: $173.4 million
18. Kansas City Chiefs: $169.0 million
19. New England Patriots: $166.2 million
20. Houston Texans: $160.6 million
21. Atlanta Falcons: $159.8 million
22. Chicago Bears: $154.7 million
23. Dallas Cowboys: $154.1 million
24. Denver Broncos: $145.1 million
25. Buffalo Bills: $144.1 million
26. Detroit Lions: $141.3 million
27. Philadelphia Eagles: $130.2 million
28. Miami Dolphins: $128.6 million
29. Minnesota Vikings: $125.2 million
30. Cleveland Browns: $100.6 million
31. San Francisco 49ers: $92.0 million
32. Jacksonville Jaguars: $72.5 million

You can go ahead and bank on the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Las Vegas Raiders being big spenders this offseason, because they almost have to be. The Rams and Seahawks are likely to spend more on retaining their homegrown talent than looking to add in free agency, though, an option the Raiders don’t really have available to them.

As it stands now, seven teams need to increase their cash spending in 2026 to hit the three-year floor, per Spotrac’s data. Here’s how much money they need to spend to become compliant, based on how their current contracts are scheduled:

1. Las Vegas Raiders: $101.2 million
2. New York Jets: $88.8 million
3. Tennessee Titans: $54.8 million
4. Los Angeles Rams: $52.2 million
5. New Orleans Saints: $51.1 million
6. Los Angeles Chargers: $50.8 million
7. Seattle Seahawks: $44.8 million

These teams will be very active between now and mid-March, as they’ll be adding players or extending their own.

Truthfully, it’s hard to fall below the cash floor in the current NFL, since teams are already spending 10 percent over the salary cap in cash on a year-to-year basis. Over the last six years, since teams learned how to manipulate cap space during the Covid era, only one team has spent less collective cash on players than the collective salary cap over those six seasons: the Steelers (by less than $36 million, less than $6 million under the cap per year or 2.67 percent below the cap over six seasons).

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...-173-million-to-get-to-the-cash-floor-in-2026

 

[Green Bay Packers]

ESPN tiers the centers in 2026 free agency

BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 07: Tyler Linderbaum #64 of the Baltimore Ravens looks on after the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium on December 7, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently released his tiers of offensive free agents, ranging from franchise players (tier 1) to backups who are likely to earn a roster spot (tier 6). For the Green Bay Packers, the squeaky wheel on offense going into 2026 is going to be the center position, as Elgton Jenkins is expected to be a cap casualty and Jenkins’ injury replacement in 2025, Sean Rhyan, is also set to hit the open market.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at how Barnwell stacked the center class.

ESPN’s Center Tiers​

• Tier 1: Franchise players ($20-26 million)
  • Tyler Linderbaum, Ravens
• Tier 2: Pro Bowl-caliber starters
  • None
• Tier 3: Capable starters ($9-16 million)
  • Connor McGovern, Bills
  • Elgton Jenkins, Packers (cap casualty)
• Tier 4: Borderline starters/high-end backups ($2.5-8 million)
  • Cade Mays, Panthers
  • Ethan Pocic, Browns
  • Graham Glasgow, Lions (cap casualty)
  • Ryan Kelly, Vikings (cap casualty)
• Tier 5: Backups likely to net guaranteed money ($1.5-3 million)
  • Austin Corbett, Panthers
  • Danny Pinter, Colts
  • Luke Fortner, Saints
  • Sean Rhyan, Packers
  • Nick Allegretti, Commanders (cap casualty)
  • Bradley Bozeman, Chargers (cap casualty)
• Tier 6: Backups likely to earn roster spot ($1-2 million)
  • Ryan Bates, Bears
  • Trystan Colon, Lions
  • Matt Hennessy, 49ers
  • Austin Schlottmann, Giants

To no surprise to anyone, it’s Tyler Linderbaum and then everyone else. He’s truly a class above the rest of the options available. Down in Indianapolis on Tuesday, Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta stated that the team will not be using the franchise tag on Linderbaum, but that they have offered him a “market-setting” contract. Whether or not Linderbaum actually hits free agency is still up in the air at this point.

After Linderbaum, there are only two other “capable starters” in the eyes of Barnwell, Buffalo’s Connor McGovern and then Jenkins, who will likely be released from Green Bay due to his $20 million in cash due for the 2026 season.

Not great. Rhyan was ranked in the fifth tier. Barnwell projects Rhyan to earn between $1.5 million and $3 million per year on the open market. To me, that seems entirely too low, considering that Jon Runyan Jr. was able to earn $10 million per year back in 2024 as a similar rotational offensive lineman. If the Packers can get Rhyan at $3 million, they should get him under contract now. Personally, I think he’s going to get north of that.

Consensus Free Agent Rankings – Centers​

• #3: Tyler Linderbaum
• #23: Connor McGovern
• #63: Cade Mays
• #125: Ethan Pocic
• #159: Sean Rhyan
• #183: Andre James
• #225: Austin Corbett (G)
• #242: Luke Fortner
• #284: Ted Karras
• #290: Trystan Colon (G)
• #354: Michael Deiter

For perspective, here is what the consensus free agent center board, which doesn’t include cap casualties, looks like after compiling data from 24 free agency rankings around the internet. Here, Rhyan is ranked as the fifth-best center option, only behind the outright starters on the market.

Packers Offensive Free Agents – ESPN Tiers​

• WR Romeo Doubs (3rd Tier: Capable starter)
• LT Rasheed Walker (3rd Tier: Capable starter)
• C Elgton Jenkins (3rd Tier: Capable starter)
• QB Malik Willis (4th Tier: Borderline starter/high-end backup)
• RB Emmanuel Wilson (5th Tier: Backup likely to net guaranteed money)
• C Sean Rhyan (5th Tier: Backup likely to net guaranteed money)
• TE John FitzPatrick (6th Tier: Backup likely to earn roster spot)

Here is how Barnwell ranked all of the Packers’ offensive free agents, listed by their tiers. For what it’s worth, running back Emmanuel Wilson is a restricted free agent, so he will only hit the market if he’s not tendered. The minimum tender this season is going to be around $3.5 million for one year, and it’s unlikely that Green Bay pulls the trigger to execute it.

Packers Consensus Board Rankings​

If you wanted an update on where the Packers’ players rank on the consensus draft board, here’s what their list looks like currently:

• #9: Rasheed Walker, LT
• #16: Malik Willis, QB
• #21: Romeo Doubs, WR
• #40: Quay Walker, LB
• #150: Kingsley Enagbare, DE
• #159: Sean Rhyan, C
• #338: John FitzPatrick, TE

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...59/espn-tiers-the-centers-in-2026-free-agency

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Interesting nuggets from Brian Gutekunst’s combine press conferences

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 25: General manager Brian Gutekunst of the Green Bay Packers speaks to the media during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on February 25, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Green Bay Packers don’t communicate much in the offseason, evidenced by the fact that the team hasn’t even scheduled a press conference yet for new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who was hired over a month ago at this point.

Brian Gutekunst had two separate press conferences at the combine on Tuesday, just the second time he’s spoken to the press, at least behind a podium, since the Micah Parsons trade presser. Thankfully, we were able to have our own Tyler Brooke down there, who got Gutekunst on the record about the offensive line’s growth over the past couple of seasons. Beyond just that quote, though, here are a couple of things that stood out to me about Gutekunst’s pressers, regarding 2026. Let’s make some mountains out of molehills.

The Credit Card Question​

The Packers are already well over the salary cap right now, and Gutekunst hasn’t committed to anyone being released, be it left guard Aaron Banks, center Elgton Jenkins, defensive end Rashan Gary or cornerback Nate Hobbs, for cap relief. Green Bay really has two options going into the new league year to become cap compliant. None of those options involves them being able to sit pat.

They either must:

1. Dump salary to create cap space (most likely coming in the form of Jenkins or Gary).
2. Heavily borrow from the future seasons’ cap space to keep their team together.

On top of that, if they want to sign outside free agents, they’ll need to create cap space for that, too. Then the extensions of players like receiver Christian Watson, tight end Tucker Kraft, edge defender Lukas Van Ness and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt (which might actually drop his 2026 cap hit) also come into play. Beyond the simple cap math, outside free agent signings will also offset potential 2027 compensatory draft picks that the team could earn by losing the likes of quarterback Malik Willis, receiver Romeo Doubs, left tackle Rasheed Walker, center Sean Rhyan, edge defender Kingsley Enagbare and linebacker Quay Walker.

To put it simply, there are a lot of pressures on the Packers in 2026, because of the structure of the league, to actively stay out of the free agent market, unless they want to put the team on a credit card (from a cap standpoint). Gutekunst was asked about that reality on Tuesday.

Here’s what he said:

So the most important thing, I think, is the 2026 season and how we’re going to chase a championship. That’s the most important thing. That will never change. You do have to balance it to make sure that you can be competitive year in and year out. So, again, you don’t want to pile up that credit card a little too so that you can’t be competitive down the road.

Personally, I think the Packers want to be as good as they can for as long as they can. It’s just their nature. They’re looking for sustainability, even if it means lower peaks.

If you look at their cash spend since the pandemic, when teams really learned how much future cap space they can borrow from, Green Bay has been a middle spend team. Their numbers haven’t been super consistent from year to year, though. In 2022, the “Last Dance” year, which featured Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams on the team together for the last time, the Packers were the second-highest cash spend team in the NFL — and paid for it on the cap for the next two years. In the other five post-pandemic seasons, the Packers have ranked just 24th in player spend.

So when Gutekunst says “that will never change” about this supposed relentless chase for a championship, I sort of roll my eyes. They really pushed all their chips in for one year (2022), but have otherwise been pretty conservative in terms of borrowing from the future (which I don’t even believe is a bad strategy, but don’t expect me to buy the company line).

He also added this when answering another question:

Our 2026 will mostly be defined by that, the guys who are already here and what they do to get better.

“Inside linebacker”​

Gutekunst was put on the spot and asked which positions his team needs more competition at. From my point of view, it’s center, where Elgton Jenkins and Sean Rhyan could both be 2026 free agents, and nose tackle, where the team struggled to replace Kenny Clark, leading to a great first-quarter defense in 2025 that slowly decayed throughout the course of the game.

Here’s how Gutekunst responded:

Throughout, quite frankly, but certainly in the secondary we’re going to need to add some competition, probably inside linebacker, you know, throughout the offense.

A couple of thoughts here:

First of all, I take secondary to mean cornerback, since four of the team’s top five safeties are still under contract in 2026, and I doubt that Green Bay is looking to displace Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams or Javon Bullard. Kitan Oladapo has also looked good in limited reps, but he’s already stuck behind the logjam at the position, too. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that the Packers need cornerbacks who are under contract for 2027, as the only one currently under contract for the next two years is Nate Hobbs, who the team could potentially move off of this offseason. I’m not sure they draft a 2026 starter, but I think they almost certainly come out of the draft with a potential 2027 starting cornerback.

The inclusion of a linebacker is much more interesting to me. First of all, the team seemed fine with Edgerrin Cooper playing the Will position and Isaiah McDuffie playing the Sam position in their previous 4-3 defense, with third-round pick Ty’Ron Hopper being the backup Will/Sam and McDuffie being the backup Mike behind Quay Walker. But Walker is set to be a free agent, so maybe this is a hint that the team has already internally moved on from him being a starting option at Mike in 2026.

Beyond that…did you catch that? “Inside linebacker?” Usually, if you’re referring to a 4-3 defense, the “inside linebacker” would be called either a Mike linebacker or a middle linebacker, not an inside linebacker. Inside linebacker is generally a term used for 3-4 defenses, where the edge defenders (4-3 defensive ends) are considered to be outside linebackers.

Almost all of the quarters system guys are based out of a 3-4. The most recent example of this is Christian Parker, who took over the Dallas Cowboys’ defense this offseason and has stated that they will transition to a 3-4 defense for the first time since 2012. New Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon played more Cover 4/quarters than any team in the league over the last five seasons, so it’s been my assumption that he will be bringing a 3-4 quarters system to Green Bay, as he did with the Arizona Cardinals.

Earlier this month, Gutekunst said that he didn’t know what Gannon was going to do, schematically, with the defense, but he might have let the cat out of the bag with his verbiage here.

The reason why the quarters system guys (like Vic Fangio in Philadelphia or Mike Macdonald in Seattle) love to base out of a 3-4 defense is that the line of scrimmage defenders sort of have to be run-first defenders, since you’re generally lining up with four defenders in far off coverage. To make up for that fact, they have line of scrimmage defenders (defensive line and 3-4 outside linebackers) play “a gap and a half” in the run game. It helps to play three 300-plus-pounders (in a 3-4 base) instead of just two (which is what would happen in a 4-3 base) if you’re trying to slow-play the run game with inside linebackers and safeties that are playing coverage first, which is common in the scheme.

It’s almost necessary at the NFL level to play a 3-4 defense (or a subpackage equivalent like Penny) if you’re going to play out of quarters frequently, as Gannon’s defenses have. The front has to match the coverage, if that makes sense.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...om-brian-gutekunsts-combine-press-conferences

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Managing the Comp Pick Formula in Free Agency

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - DECEMBER 27: Malik Willis #2 of the Green Bay Packers drops back to pass in the third quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Lambeau Field on December 27, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Trying to explain the compensation pick formula and cancellation structure is probably the most convoluted thing the NFL has to offer. You think option bonuses are confusing? Compensation picks take on an entirely different life form that frankly puts the intricacies of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement to shame. If you want a deep dive full explainer, Over the Cap has you covered, but I’m going to simplify a few things here for our purposes in looking at how Green Bay will likely navigate the next month as we head into free agency.

The quickest cliff notes of how the compensation formula structure works as possible will be attempted here. A player counts as a CFA (compensatory free agent, i.e. someone who counts in the formulas) if they are an unrestricted free agent and sign a contract prior to the first Monday after the NFL Draft. Players signed after this point are not factored into the comp pick formula. Restricted free agents (like Darian Kinnard) and exclusive-rights free agents (like Bo Melton) are not counted either. If a player is released, often termed “cap casualty” by the type of folks who write about this stuff, they are not counted either. If a player’s contract voids, they are counted as an unrestricted free agent in the overwhelming majority of cases, and thus qualify for the comp pick formula. The highest comp pick you can earn is a 3rd rounder, all the way down to 7th rounders, and the most comp picks you can ever pick up in a single year is four. If you come out with a net of five CFAs lost, too bad, so sad, you get four picks.

Got that? That’s the easy part. Now onto the Packers situation. Green Bay is entering this off-season with nine unrestricted free agents. Trevon Diggs, Quay Walker, Malik Willis, Romeo Doubs, Rasheed Walker, Kingsley Enagbare, Sean Rhyan, Nick Niemann, and John FitzPatrick. Trevon Diggs fails the “cut” rule. The Packers released him; he is not eligible as a CFA. Every other one of their free agents passes this test. The next test is when they sign. To qualify as a CFA, the player must sign a contract prior to the Monday after the NFL Draft. Obviously, this is unknown at this time, but I think it is a fair bet that at least everyone but Niemann and FitzPatrick will sign before then. FitzPatrick is unlikely to sign for some time, perhaps at all, after tearing his Achilles tendon late in the season. Niemann signed his contract in March of last year, and so qualified from a timing perspective, though with this type of special-team only players, it’s difficult to say how long that maintains. The other six: the Walkers, Willis, Doubs, Enagbare, and Rhyan are likely to sign prior to the draft, and thus should pass that test. The final test to qualify as a CFA is that you need to actually have a combination of average annual salary and playing time qualifiers to meet. While compensation picks have not been awarded yet as of writing (this will occur in a couple of weeks), the current projected last compensation pick in the upcoming draft is projected to go to Green Bay for Eric Wilson. Wilson received a contract total of $2.6M for 2025. Wilson racked up a lot of playing time for his contract and potentially pushed himself above other players on slightly larger contracts. For the purposes of 2027 pick calculations here, we’ll assume that any player making over $2.75M at least carries the ability to be a CFA.

Before we go into pick cancellations, we have to set a baseline for contracts that Green Bay CFAs could earn. Both Ian Rappaport and Jordan Schultz have reported that there is an expectation across the league that Malik Willis will receive a contract with an average annual value in excess of $30M. This would qualify Willis for a third-round compensation pick. Rasheed Walker is currently projected to receive a contract similar to that of Dan Moore, which would be in the neighborhood of $21M. Walker is currently the top-ranked free agent offensive tackle, and with scarcity at the position and many cap space-heavy teams needing offensive line help, Walker could surpass Moore, who earned the Steelers a third-round pick. For the purposes of this exercise, we’ll assume Walker earns Green Bay a third. After Walker, it gets more complicated. The next highest AAV is likely to come from Romeo Doubs, who ranks sixth amongst receivers on our consensus free agent ranking board. One of those, George Pickens, will be franchise tagged, and another, Mike Evans, isn’t really competing with Doubs as he is an aged veteran. That leaves just Alec Pierce, Jajuan Jennings, and Rashid Shaheed. Acme Packing Company’s Tyler Brooke reported today in a video for his channel Best Available that Pierce is seen around the league as a lock to stay in Indianapolis. That means for a team looking for an X-receiver, Doubs will probably be #1 on their board when actual free agency rolls around, and that may push his market up. His floor seems to be the Khalil Shakir contract, which is about $13M AAV, but once you reach free agency, you can usually add a few million to that floor. If we assume Doubs signs for $16-$17M, that creates an unknown situation. No one signed in that exact range last year, but several defensive backs signed for just north of $17M and earned fourth-round comp picks. Just for the example here, we’ll assume Doubs nets a fourth. Then there’s Quay Walker, who is a living, breathing starting off-ball linebacker, which seems to get you about $13-15M once you reach free agency, almost regardless of how good you actually are. Maybe someone thinks they can fix him and pay him more, but we’ll assume, for this example, he lands there and would net the Packers a fifth.

Well, that is your four, except it’s not entirely. Obviously, if Green Bay retains any of them, which is unlikely, they wouldn’t count, so let’s run through the remaining ones just in case. This EDGE market is quite deep in depth, and that may push Kingsley Enagbare’s number down, especially when factoring in that it’s also a solid draft class at the position. Third EDGE types are typically in the $5-7M range, which is on the edge of sixth/seventh round pick. Sean Rhyan is an interesting case as he’s projected to get close to the CFA qualification number by most, but I frankly don’t buy that. Teams are desperate for semi-competent offensive linemen, and even shaky ones who hit free agency tend to get in the mid-to-upper seven figures, putting him in a similar position to Enagbare. So basically Green Bay would be looking at two thirds, a fourth, a fifth, with two sixths/sevenths in the bag that they can’t use.

Except they sort of can use them, even if they don’t get draft picks for them. And that’s where cancellation comes in. The cancellation process is done by round tiering, which makes it a bit of a mess to try and calculate ahead of time, so we’re just going to have to follow some very general rules. If you sign a CFA off another team, they will cancel out the player you lost. So if Green Bay signs a player for, say, $13M AAV, they would cancel out Quay Walker’s comp pick. Then, because Green Bay lost more than four players, it works down to the next one (either Enagbare or Rhyan in this example) and Green Bay would thus be awarded a sixth/seventh for one of Enagbare or Rhyan rather than a fifth for Walker. However, if a player they signed was tiered in the sixth/seventh range with Enagbare or Rhyan, they would be the ones cancelled out, even though Green Bay was not going to actually receive a comp pick for them because of the maximum of four rule.

Now, once we start doing some off-season projections on this, we can narrow down the options. I wrote earlier this week about how the center market is pretty bad this spring, and thus, it might necessitate retaining Sean Rhyan. If Green Bay does that, of course, Rhyan doesn’t factor into CFA calculations at all. Then Green Bay will likely only be able to sign one CFA in that sixth/seventh tier before creating a bit of a problem. If they were to sign any other CFA, regardless of how little they paid them (so long as they were still CFA qualifying), they would lose the Quay Walker comp pick. Again, this assumes Niemann doesn’t qualify for either AAV or contract timing, or because Green Bay retains him. If he gets added to the list, Green Bay can sign another external CFA without losing the Quay pick.

This may leave you lost in the sauce. I am currently lost in the sauce, and I’m the one writing it. Let’s take some key takeaways with us, though. Because of how comp pick cancellation works and the Packers’ relatively tight financial situation over the next couple of years (they can do what they need to, but they like to not do boom/bust), it’s not likely Green Bay spends on CFAs to an amount that would cancel out their highest picks. Green Bay is going to want four good comp picks in 2027 because they lack draft capital from the Micah Parsons trade and want cheap and controllable roster spots. That means, depending on what they do with Enagbare, Rhyan, and Niemann, they may only be able to sign one, maybe two, legitimate free agents this spring. Again, this does not impact cap casualties, just true unrestricted free agents. So if you’re putting together plans to add a nose tackle like DJ Reader, Khyris Tonga, or Roy Lopez, adding a starting-quality off-ball linebacker, and then throwing some cornerback competition or a starting center on top of that, just know that Green Bay is not probably going down that route. They want them picks. They, frankly, need them picks.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...managing-the-comp-pick-formula-in-free-agency

 

[Green Bay Packers]

How did you become a Packers fan?

GREEN BAY, WI - SEPTEMBER 07: A fan in full gear looks on during a game between the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions on September 7, 2025 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI. (Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Some fans choose their team, and some fans are chosen by their team. Which was it for you? Today, we want to hear your story from you: How you became a fan of the Packers.

When did you first become a fan? Were you born into it? Was there a specific game or season that pulled you in? What’s the earliest moment you remember as a fan?

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Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ussion/79608/how-did-you-become-a-packers-fan

 

[Green Bay Packers]

NFL Combine Watch Thread: Thursday – DL, EDGE and LB

ATHENS, GEORGIA - APRIL 12: Christen Miller #52 of the Georgia Bulldogs during the University of Georgia Spring Game at Sanford Stadium on April 12, 2025 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Steve Limentani/ISI Photos/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The testing portion of the NFL scouting combine will begin today at 2 pm CT on NFL Network, but players started arriving on Sunday, and interviews have been going on since Monday. This isn’t the “first day of the combine,” as teams have been putting in work throughout the week, but it is the first day of testing.

Feel free to chat in this thread about Thursday’s action. As a reminder, today is when the interior defensive linemen, edge rushers and off-ball linebackers will be performing. Below is a refresher of the top-200 prospects at each position, including their verified heights and weights from Indianapolis, via The Draft Network. Rankings are brought to you by the consensus draft board.

Interior Defensive Linemen – Top-200​

• #17: Peter Woods, Clemson (6’2.5”, 298 pounds): no 40
• #27: Caleb Banks, Florida (6’6”, 327): 5.04-second 40
• #30: Kayden McDonald, Ohio State (6’2”, 326): no 40
• #35: Lee Hunter, Texas Tech (6’3.5”, 318): 5.18
• #45: Christen Miller, Georgia (6’4”, 321): no 40
• #73: Domonique Orange, Iowa State (6’2”, 322): no 40
• #75: Darrell Jackson Jr., Florida State (6’5.5”, 315): no 40
• #93: Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati (6’0.5”, 340): no 40
• #107: Kaleb Proctor, Southeastern Louisiana (6’2”, 291): 4.79
• #110: Gracen Halton, Oklahoma (6’3”, 293): 4.82
• #123: Tim Keenan III, Alabama (6’1”, 327): 5.31
• #130: Skyler Gill-Howard, Texas Tech (6’1”, 280): no 40
• #131: Chris McClellan, Missouri (6’4”, 313): 5.05
• #132: Zane Durant, Penn State (6’1”, 290): 4.75
• #137: Rayshaun Benny, Michigan (6’3”, 298): no 40
• #160: Zxavian Harris, Mississippi (6’8”, 330): no 40
• #161: DeMonte Capehart, Clemson (6’5”, 313): 4.85
• #176: Albert Regis, Texas A&M (6’1”, 295): 4.88

We went over who is or isn’t a nose tackle in an article earlier this week, as that’s the position that the Green Bay Packers will likely have the most interest in. With that being said, it is interesting that Georgia’s Christen Miller, who didn’t play much nose in college, measured in at 321 pounds, larger than expected. Maybe he’s an option for Green Bay, too. Miller was previously thought of as a first-round lock, but he’s been slipping down boards recently, likely due to the rise of Caleb Banks (freak show) and Lee Hunter (who had a good all-star game performance at the Senior Bowl).

Dontay Corleone, who didn’t step on the scale at the Shrine Bowl, is officially 340 pounds. That’s also worth noting.

Your shorthand here is that guys who are in the 310+ range are generally viewed as nose tackles in this class. The one major exception, besides Miller, is Missouri’s Chris McClellan, who only played 15 percent of his total college snaps at nose tackle.

Edge Rushers – Top-200​

• #3: Rueben Bain, Miami (6’2”, 263): no 40
• #5: David Bailey, Texas Tech (6’4”, 251): 4.50
• #15: Keldric Faulk, Auburn (6’6”, 276): no 40
• #18: Cashius Howell, Texas A&M (6’2.5”, 253): 4.59
• #24: Akheem Mesidor, Miami (6’3”, 259): no 40
• #29: T.J. Parker, Clemson (6’4”, 263): 4.68
• #37: Zion Young, Missouri (6’6”, 262): no 40
• #41: R Mason Thomas, Oklahoma (6’2”, 241): 4.67
• #55: Gabe Jacas, Illinois (6’4”, 260): no 40
• #60: L.T. Overton, Alabama (6’3”, 274): 4.87
• #65: Derrick Moore, Michigan (6’4”, 255): no 40
• #69: Joshua Josephs, Tennessee (6’3”, 242): no 40
• #70: Romello Height, Texas Tech (6’3”, 239): 4.64
• #84: Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State (6’6”, 256): 4.63
• #97: Malachi Lawrence, UCF (6’4”, 253): 4.52
• #114: Anthony Lucas, USC (6’5.5”, 256): no 40
• #120: Keyron Crawford, Auburn (6’4”, 253): no 40
• #155: Mikail Kamara, Indiana (not invited to combine)
• #157: Caden Curry, Ohio State (6’3”, 257): no 40
• #158: Tyreak Sapp, Florida (6’2”, 273): no 40
• #171: Nadame Tucker, Western Michigan (6’2”, 247): 4.73
• #174: Max Llewellyn, Iowa (6’6”, 258): 4.81
• #182: Vincent Anthony Jr., Duke (6’6”, 258): 4.84

Usually, the tippy top pass-rushers in the NFL run something around a 4.7-second 40-yard dash (or better) and somewhere in the ballpark of 7 seconds in three-cone (or better), with a sliding scale for a player’s weight. When the numbers start rolling out for the three-cone, keep an eye on those ranges.

Off-Ball Linebackers – Top-200​

• #2: Arvell Reese, Ohio State (6’4”, 241): 4.46
• #12: Sonny Styles, Ohio State (6’5”, 244): 4.46
• #28: C.J. Allen, Georgia (6’1”, 230): no 40
• #44: Anthony Hill Jr., Texas (6’2”, 238): 4.51
• #54: Jake Golday, Cincinnati (6’4.5”, 239): 4.62
• #62: Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech (6’1”, 231): 4.57
• #63: Josiah Trotter, Missouri (6’2”, 237): no 40
• #78: Kyle Louis, Pittsburgh (6’0”, 220): 4.53
• #92: Deontae Lawson, Alabama (6’3”, 226): no 40
• #112: Harold Perkins Jr., LSU (6’1”, 223): no 40
• #134: Taurean York, Texas A&M (5’11”, 226): no 40
• #139: Jaishawn Barham, Michigan (6’3.5”, 240): 4.64
• #151: Bryce Boettcher, Oregon (6’1”, 233): no 40
• #154: Lander Barton, Utah (6’5”, 233): no 40
• #167: Aiden Fisher, Indiana (6’1”, 232): no 40
• #198: Keyshaun Elliott, Arizona State (6’2”, 231): no 40

With Edgerrin Cooper locking up the Will spot moving forward (the same position Ty’Ron Hopper likely has to play due to both Cooper and Hopper being a little light), Green Bay should be in the market to find a starting Mike, either in free agency or the draft, assuming that Quay Walker leaves this offseason. When general manager Brian Gutekunst was asked about positions that need more competition in 2026, he said it was defensive back (we’re assuming he means cornerback, specifically) and “inside linebacker,” both a hint that Walker could be gone and that the team is transitioning to a 3-4.

The linebackers who are closer to 240 pounds than 230 pounds are probably more what they’re looking for at the position.

Jaishawn Barham is a weird case because he was initially an off-ball linebacker at Michigan but transitioned to the edge in 2025. He’s very undersized for the edge position at just 240 pounds. Teams have split opinions about where he’ll end up in the NFL.

Also, yes, Josiah Trotter is the son of NFL legend Jeremiah Trotter.

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Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...-combine-watch-thread-thursday-dl-edge-and-lb

 

[Green Bay Packers]

The NFL combine had just a 37 percent participation rate on Day 1

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 26: Players gather at the start of the 40-yard dash during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 26, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Thursday was the start of the on-field testing drills for this year’s NFL combine, a day that showcased the upcoming draft class’ front seven defenders (interior defensive linemen, edge defenders and linebackers). If you missed the action…you didn’t actually miss much.

Why’s that? Not many of them actually tested.

Let’s take a look at Day 1’s participation rate and compare it to previous combines.

Participation Rate — Drill​

• 40-yard dash: 47 of 92 players participated (51 percent)
• Vertical Jump: 47 of 92 (51 percent)
• Broad Jump: 44 of 92 (48 percent)
• Short Shuttle: 18 of 92 (20 percent)
• 3 Cone: 12 of 92 (13 percent)
• Overall: 168 of 460 opportunities (37 percent)

The 92 front seven defenders were scheduled to do five drills at the combine yesterday, with their bench press day being today. Over those five drills (460 total drill opportunities for this crop), there was a 37 percent participation rate (168 opportunities actually taken), based on NFL.com’s results page.

Last year, 102 front seven players participated at a 44 percent rate over the same five drills. So 2026 is just another year of continued drop-off for the combine, an 18 percent drop in participation relative to the 2025 rate. From a raw numbers perspective, the front seven defenders did 58 more drills last year than this class did. The drills per player rate dropped from 2.2 in 2025 to just 1.8 in 2026.

The last “pre-Covid” combine was actually in 2020, as the NFL was able to thread the needle before travel restrictions started to hit. That year, there was a 63 percent drill participation rate among front seven defenders. The drills with the lowest rate of participation were the agility drills (the short shuttle and three cone), which still saw 50 percent of the participants run. Now, those drills are at 20 (shuttle) and 13 (cone) percent. Woof.

Overall, drill participation among these position groups is 42 percent lower in 2026 than it was in the last pre-pandemic combine.

Long-term, participation has significantly dropped. Year to year, participation has also significantly dropped. When will it stop? It’s anyone’s guess.

Top-100 Players — Didn’t Run 40s​

• #3: Rueben Bain, EDGE, Miami
• #15: Keldric Faulk, EDGE, Auburn
• #17: Peter Woods, DL, Clemson
• #24: Akheem Mesidor, EDGE, Miami
• #28: C.J. Allen, LB, Georgia
• #30: Kayden McDonald, Ohio State
• #37: Zion Young, Missouri
• #45: Christen Miller, Georgia
• #55: Gabe Jacas, Illinois
• #63: Josiah Trotter, Missouri
• #65: Derrick Moore, Michigan
• #69: Joshua Josephs, Tennessee
• #73: Domonique Orange, Iowa State
• #75: Darrell Jackson Jr., Florida State
• #92: Deontae Lawson, Alabama
• #93: Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati

The drill participation doesn’t really lean one way or another based on draft position, either. Among the 32 projected top-100 prospects in this group, per the consensus draft board, 50 percent of them ran the 40-yard dash, which holds up compared to the overall rate of 51 percent for this specific drill. Three of the top four players on Thursday, #2 Arvell Reese, #5 David Bailey and #12 Sonny Styles, even ran. You can’t just say “Well, the top guys aren’t running.” It’s sort of indiscriminatory who is or isn’t running. It’s both projected first-round picks and projected undrafted free agents who are saying they’d rather run at their pro days, if they run at all.

The Combine’s Overarching Problems​

You’ve probably long heard that Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur doesn’t attend the combine, and hasn’t for years, but that’s a relatively new phenomenon for NFL head coaches, which started with the Los Angeles Rams’ Sean McVay and the San Francisco 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan.

This year, only 20 head coaches attended the combine, based on the league’s press conference interview schedule. Last year, that number was 26, meaning the absent head coaches have now doubled in one year for what used to be a can’t-miss event for the league. That’s not great for the combine!

Some context on measurements taken throughout the week of the combine: measurements sometimes can vary for players depending on who they are taken by. To that end, at least two NFL teams that measured Rueben Bain, Jr. today had his arms at north of 32”. https://t.co/4HhpIM2luR

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 26, 2026

On top of that, you have the credibility problem. You might have seen ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweet this out and thought, “Wow, Schefty is doing some PR for Bain’s agent,” but this was a real problem for the combine last season, based on conversations I’ve had with people in the scouting industry.

In 2025, it was common for players to have their arm length measured at one length at all-star games, only for it to drop an inch or so at the combine and then measure in back at their all-star game length at pro days. The event took a pretty big credibility hit for this. Now, apparently, teams are measuring arm length themselves (presumably in meetings?) if you’re to believe Schefter’s tweet.

Then there’s the next set of problems: Do these numbers even matter? Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said this week that the team doesn’t really look too much into 40-yard times anymore because they already have access to players’ GPS data from college games.

So if teams value the combine less, to the point where nearly half of the league’s head coaches don’t show up, and players value it less, as nearly two-thirds of them skip a given drill…why exactly should fans care about this event?

Because of how few defensive tackles (the first group up on Thursday) ran the 40-yard dash, the broadcast crew for the combine nervously commented on how quickly it went by. Here’s their problem: The broadcast still has a full five-hour window to fill, even with the lack of participants. If you watched on Thursday, you probably noticed a considerable uptick in the booth and on-field sets filling up airtime.

The combine has always been more about the non-TV content (medicals, interviews with prospects, tampering with upcoming free agents’ representatives) than the on-field drills for the league, but selling the combine as a TV product for fans is finally starting to become an actual problem. Over four days, the NFL is still selling the same 21 hours of live combine coverage, but now it’s coming with 42 percent less action.

This could get real Pro Bowl really quickly, if the league doesn’t fix its problem. Fans throw the combine on to watch measured events (runs or jumps), not the wave drill, gauntlet or a booth segment. At some point, fans are going to stop turning on the combine if the measured events make up so little of the NFL’s combine broadcast.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...just-a-37-percent-participation-rate-on-day-1

 

[Green Bay Packers]

NFL Combine Watch Thread: Friday – TE, CB and S

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 06: Ohio State Buckeyes CB Davison Igbinosun (1) celebrates a play during the Big Ten Championship football game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Ohio State Buckeyes on December 6, 2025 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN. (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The NFL combine had just a 37 percent participation rate on the first day of the on-field portion of the event, which is not great. Hopefully, more players end up testing today than on Friday.

Today’s focus will be on the tight ends, cornerbacks and safeties, but if you want to catch up on the action from yesterday, when the defensive linemen, edge defenders and off-ball linebackers ran, scroll through Thursday’s thread.

Here are a couple of things to know about the position groups that will be testing today, along with measurements from the top-200 prospects, per the consensus draft board:

Tight Ends – Top-200​

• #19 Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon (6’3”, 241): 4.39
• #61 Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt (6’4”, 239): 4.51
• #71 Max Klare, Ohio State (6’4”, 246): no 40
• #91 Michael Trigg, Baylor (6’4”, 240): no 40
• #98 Justin Joly, NC State (6’3.5”, 241): no 40
• #119 Oscar Delp, Georgia (6’5”, 245): no 40
• #121 Jack Endries, Texas (6’5”, 245): 4.62
• #133 Sam Roush, Stanford (6’6”, 267): 4.70
• #146 Dallen Bentley, Utah (6’4”, 253): 4.62
• #149 Nate Boerkircher, Texas A&M (6’5.5”, 245): no 40
• #175 Eli Raridon, Notre Dame (6’6”, 245): 4.62
• #178 John Michael Gyllenborg, Wyoming (6’6”, 249): 4.60
• #179 Joe Royer, Cincinnati (6’5”, 247): no 40
• #183 Tanner Koziol, Houston (6’6.5”, 247): 4.70
• #186 DaeQuan Wright, Mississippi (6’4”, 246)
• #189 Josh Cuevas, Alabama (6’3”, 245): 4.65

I kind of doubt that Green Bay is going to be super active at tight end this year, but there is a chance they could take one late. Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave are both returning to the team, plus Josh Whyle (and John FitzPatrick, if the Packers want him post-Achilles tear) could be re-signed for cheap.

Generally, head coach Matt LaFleur has wanted pass-catchers at the position, with Marcedes Lewis and FitzPatrick being the exceptions in his time in Green Bay. The team will probably keep three tight ends moving forward, because LaFleur’s tight ends don’t play teams much. Other teams have sort of pivoted away from pass-catchers (Whyle was waived by Tennessee last year, for example) because of their importance on the kickoff return units, but that hasn’t been a priority here. For perspective, Seattle had one fullback (a fullback in 2025!) who basically played as many snaps as all of the Packers’ running backs and tight ends combined on special teams last season.

In general, Green Bay allows very few of its offensive players to play in the kicking game. Savion Williams and Romeo Doubs are the notable exceptions, but even they ranked 31st and 37th in special teams snaps played by the Packers in 2025, among just a 48-man gameday roster.

The Packers really could just bring back Whyle and call it a day.

Cornerbacks – Top-200​

• #11 Mansoor Delane, LSU (6’0”, 187): no 40
• #14 Jermod McCoy, Tennessee (6’1”, 188): 4.45
• #21 Avieon Terrell, Clemson (5’11”, 186): no 40
• #33 Colton Hood, Tennessee (6’0”, 193): 4.44
• #34 Brandon Cisse, South Carolina (6’0”, 189): no 40
• #47 Chris Johnson, San Diego State (6’0”, 193): 4.40
• #49 Keith Abney II, Arizona State (5’10”, 187): no 40
• #55 D’angelo Ponds, Indiana (5’9”, 182): no 40
• #57 Keionte Scott, Miami (5’11”, 193): no 40
• #79 Devin Moore, Florida (6’3”, 198): 4.50
• #81 Davison Igbinosun, Ohio State (6’2”, 189): 4.45
• #87 Julian Neal, Arkansas (6’2”, 203): 4.49
• #89 Malik Muhammad, Texas (6’0”, 182): 4.42
• #97 Chandler Rivers, Duke (5’9.5”, 185): 4.40
• #99 Will Lee III, Texas A&M (6’1.5”, 189): 4.52
• #111 Daylen Everette, Georgia (6’1”, 196): 4.38
• #139 Jadon Canady, Oregon (5’10.5”, 181): no 40
• #144 Tacario Davis, Washington (6’4”, 194): 4.41
• #154 Ephesians Prysock, Washington (6’3”, 196): 4.45
• #169 Hezekiah Masses, California (6’1”, 179): 4.46
• #173 TJ Hall, Iowa (6’1”, 189): 4.59
• #196 Devon Marshall, NC State (did not get invited)
• #200 Thaddeus Dixon, North Carolina (6’1”, 195): no 40

This is probably the most metric-intensive position for the Packers out of this crop. Here are some facts:

1. The Packers have drafted one sub-5’10 3/4” cornerback in the top 170 picks since Mike Sherman in 2005 (Jaire Alexander).
2. The Packers haven’t drafted a sub-191-pound cornerback in the top 170 picks since 2005.
3. The average cornerback for Jonathan Gannon in Arizona ran a 4.42, and none ran slower than a 4.48 in his quarters-heavy system.

Green Bay doesn’t necessarily want big cornerbacks, but they do not want small cornerbacks. Gannon’s system needs fast cornerbacks to make up for quarters turning into man coverage after about five yards, too.

Where those things match (especially outside of the top of the draft, since the Packers’ first pick is #52) should make identifying a Green Bay-type cornerback pretty easy. I’ve really circled eight players at the position already, including Domani Jackson of Alabama, a former top-50 projection who had a down season in 2025 but should test like an elite athlete.

Safeties – Top-200​

• #8 Caleb Downs, Ohio State (6’0”, 206): no 40
• #31 Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo (6’3.5”, 201): 4.52
• #36 Dillon Thieneman, Oregon (6’0”, 201): 4.35
• #58 A.J. Haulcy, LSU (6’0”, 215): 4.52
• #68 Kamari Ramsey, USC (6’0”, 202): 4.47
• #85 Zakee Wheatley, Penn State (6’2”, 203): no 40
• #88 Genesis Smith, Arizona (6’2”, 202): no 40
• #101 Treydan Stukes, Arizona (6’1”, 190): 4.33
• #104 Bud Clark, TCU (6’1”, 188): 4.41
• #117 Michael Taaffe, Texas (6’0”, 190): 4.50
• #122 Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina (6’1”, 210): 4.40
• #129 Louis Moore, Indiana (5’11”, 191): no 40
• #151 Bishop Fitzgerald, USC (5’11”, 201): 4.55
• #187 VJ Payne, Kansas State (6’3”, 206): 4.40

I don’t think Green Bay will be in the safety market much because the team returns four of its top five safeties, with the fifth being 2024 fifth-round pick Kitan Oladapo. With that being said, general manager Brian Gutekunst did say that “defensive back”, not cornerback, is a priority for the team this offseason.

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Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...0/nfl-combine-watch-thread-friday-te-cb-and-s

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers will not tender Emanuel Wilson, Zayne Anderson

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JANUARY 4: Emanuel Wilson #23 of the Green Bay Packers carries the ball against the Minnesota Vikings in the second quarter of the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on January 4, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) | Getty Images

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler is reporting that the Green Bay Packers will not tender restricted free agent running back Emanuel Wilson, and The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman is reporting the same situation for safety Zayne Anderson, who was fifth on the team in special teams snaps played in 2025. This shouldn’t come as a shock, as we’ve projected that the team might only tender swing tackle Darian Kinnard if they do tender any of their restricted free agents this offseason.

It was recently announced by the league that the minimum cost to tender a restricted free agent to a one-year deal (the first right of refusal tender) is $3,520,000. Teams can also place second-round ($5,767,000) and first-round ($8,046,000) tenders on players. The names of these tenders have to do with what rights the team has if their player is poached by another squad after the tender is placed.

For example, the first right of refusal tender is just the baseline salary minimum (non-guaranteed) that a player is owed for the tendering team to have the ability to match a contract offer that the player receives. A second-round tender means that the team offering a contract to a tendered player must give up a second-round pick if the player signs with that new team, and the same is true for a first-round pick for the first-round tender.

These are the only three price points for restricted free agents, who qualify by having their contract expire but before they’ve accrued the four necessary years to become unrestricted free agents. Unrestricted free agents are generally what people think of when they think of free agency. They are free to sign with whoever, whenever they’re either 1) released or 2) their contracts expire at the start of the new league year (March 11th).

If a restricted free agent isn’t tendered, he will eventually become an unrestricted free agent.

Here are Green Bay’s restricted free agents this year and how many snaps they played in 2025:

• RB Chris Brooks – RFA (433)
• OL Darian Kinnard – RFA (361)
• RB Emanuel Wilson – RFA (351)
• DE Arron Mosby – RFA (238)
• S Zayne Anderson – RFA (228)
• TE Josh Whyle – RFA (227)
• DE Brenton Cox Jr. – RFA (103)

I expect all, except maybe Kinnard, to be allowed to hit unrestricted free agency. After that, conversations could begin with these players coming back to Green Bay in 2026 at a lower rate than $3.5 million.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...will-not-tender-emanuel-wilson-zayne-anderson

 

[Green Bay Packers]

NFL Combine Watch Thread: Saturday – QB, RB and WR

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 27: Baylor wide receiver Josh Cameron answers questions from the media during the NFL Scouting Combine on February 27, 2026 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Welcome to the third day of testing for the least-participated in combine in NFL history. Hopefully, more players will run on Saturday, since the event will start a little earlier. Today will feature the quarterbacks, running backs and receivers doing on-field work, which will include former Green Bay Packers quarterback Taylor Elgersma doing some throwing.

Let’s break down who the projected top-200 prospects are in this group, per the consensus draft board, and some Packers-adjacent thoughts at these positions.

Quarterbacks​

• #1 Fernando Mendoza, Indiana (6’5”, 225): no 40
• #32 Ty Simpson, Alabama (6’1”, 211): no 40
• #85 Garrett Nussmeier, LSU (6’2”, 203): no 40
• #113 Drew Allar, Penn State (6’5”, 228): no 40
• #126 Carson Beck, Miami (6’5”, 233): no 40
• #132 Cole Payton, North Dakota State (6’3”, 232): no 40
• #168 Sawyer Robertson, Baylor (6’4”, 216): no 40
• #193 Taylen Green, Arkansas (6’6”, 227): 4.37
• #195 Jalon Daniels, Kansas (6’1”, 219): 4.66
• #198 Luke Altmyer, Illinois (6’2”, 210): 4.72

Green Bay could be in the backup quarterback market in the draft, but they also signed Desmond Ridder and Kyle McCord, two former draft picks, to reserve-futures deals at the start of the offseason. Sawyer Robertson is a bit of a Bo Nix, which is either a pejorative or a compliment depending on where you stand on Nix’s first two years in the NFL. Taylen Green is a long-striding scrambler who reminds me a bit of Dennis Dixon.

Running Backs​

• #9 Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame (6’0”, 212): 4.36
• #53 Jadarian Price, Notre Dame (5’11”, 203): no 40
• #76 Jonah Coleman, Washington (5’8”, 220): no 40
• #77 Emmett Johnson, Nebraska (5’10”, 202): 4.56
• #110 Nick Singleton, Penn State (6’0”, 219): no 40
• #118 Mike Washington Jr., Arkansas (6’1”, 223): 4.33
• #127 Kaytron Allen, Penn State (5’11”, 216): no 40
• #159 Seth McGowan, Kentucky (6’0”, 223): 4.49
• #167 Kaelon Black, Indiana (not invited)
• #197 Adam Randall, Clemson (6’3”, 232): 4.50

This is expected to be a weak running back class (I haven’t spent too much time here), but all of the guys after the top four are bigger body backs, which is something that Green Bay has really liked in the Matt LaFleur era. Aside from Aaron Jones, the vast majority of the Packers’ backs under LaFleur have been 220-ish pounds or heavier. I don’t really expect that to change, with the way they structure their run game now (inside runs like duo and inside zone) and how they’ve built their offensive line significantly heavier in recent years. It’s all sort of moving in the same direction.

Receivers​

• #7 Carnell Tate, Ohio State (6’2”, 192): 4.53
• #10 Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State (6’2”, 203): no 40
• #13 Makai Lemon, USC (5’11”, 192): no 40
• #20 Denzel Boston, Washington (6’4”, 212): no 40
• #26 Kevin Concepcion, Texas A&M (6’0”, 196): no 40
• #41 Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana (6’0”, 199): 4.42
• #42 Malachi Fields, Notre Dame (6’4.5”, 218): 4.61
• #49 Zacharian Branch, Georgia (5’9”, 177): 4.35
• #51 Chris Bell, Louisville (6’2”, 220): no 40
• #52 Chris Brazzell, Tennessee II (6’4”, 198): 4.37
• #58 Elijah Sarratt, Indiana (6’2.5”, 210): no 40
• #66 Germie Bernard, Alabama (6’1”, 206): 4.48
• #73 Antonio Williams, Clemson (5’11.5”, 187): 4.41
• #84 Ja’Kobi Lane, USC (6’4”, 200): 4.47
• #94 Ted Hurst, Georgia State (6’4”, 206): 4.42
• #95 Skyler Bell, UConn (6’0”, 192): 4.40
• #101 Deion Burks, Oklahoma (5’10”, 180): 4.30
• #112 Brenen Thompson, Mississippi State (5’9”, 164): 4.26
• #134 Reggie Virgil, Texas Tech (6’3”, 187): 4.57
• #138 Kevin Coleman Jr., Missouri (5’10”, 179): 4.49
• #142 C.J. Daniels, Miami (6’2”, 202): no 40
• #143 Josh Cameron, Baylor (6’1.5”, 220): no 40
• #161 Bryce Lance, North Dakota State (6’3”, 204): 4.34
• #162 Eric McAlister, TCU (6’4”, 194): no 40
• #164 Kendrick Law, Kentucky (5’11”, 203): 4.45
• #188 De’Zhaun Stribling, Mississippi (6’2”, 207): 4.36
• #189 Tyren Montgomery, John Carroll (not invited)

I don’t think the Packers will be in the receiver market much, considering that Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, Dontayvion Wicks, Savion Williams and Bo Melton all return in 2026, but stranger things have happened.

For what it’s worth, Josh Cameron of Baylor is the one LaFleur-sized outside receiver (Reed, Golden and Melton are almost always either slots or motion men outside of third downs already) who also returned punts in college football last year. Gun to my head, he’d be my choice if you asked me to guess right on a receiver from this group going to Green Bay in the draft in April.

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Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...fl-combine-watch-thread-saturday-qb-rb-and-wr

 

[Green Bay Packers]

NFL combine participation rate keeps dropping, especially agility drills

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 26: Sonny Styles of the Ohio State Buckeyes participates in the 40-yard dash during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 26, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images

From 2005 to 2020, between two-thirds and three-fourths of players participated in any given drill at the combine regularly. Then the pandemic happened.

Not only did some top-10 selections in the 2021 class opt out of the 2020 college season entirely, but they also didn’t have a combine to participate in that offseason, either. Yet, teams still took them high in the draft, feedback that prospects and agents took as: “Well, the combine can’t be that important to teams then.”

Since then, we’ve seen significantly fewer players participate in combined drills. As of now, through the tight ends and defenders, the participation rate for the 2026 combine is hovering around 41 percent, slightly higher than the 37 percent that we were at after Day 1 of the combine. Still, it’s close to a one-third chance that a given player actually participates in a given drill.

There was an immediate dropoff when on-field combine drills returned in 2022, as participation dropped below 50 percent for the first time, but there was a solid bounceback in 2023. In the last three successive combines, though, the participation rate has dropped year-over-year, and the 2026 combine looks to be the worst, in terms of participation, ever.

Participation Rate — Drill, 2026​

• Vertical: 60 percent
• 40-yard dash: 56 percent
• Broad: 54 percent
• Short Shuttle: 19 percent
• 3 Cone: 15 percent

I’d argue the agility drills — the shuttle and three cone — are the most important data points, in terms of predicting a player’s success. Those are the drills that are seeing the most losses in terms of participation. Unlike the jumps and the 40-yard dash, these drills aren’t televised. Another factor in these drills losing participants is that they’re run later, sometimes after non-timed on-field work like the wave drill or the gauntlet, which is why many just call it a day early instead of going back into testing mode after already shifting gears.

The jumps and 40-yard dash have taken a hit, too, as the drills used to regularly push in the 80 percent participation range. It’s not that the agilities that are solely taking a hit, just that the agilities are taking the biggest hit.

At the current rate, only one in seven prospects at the combine actually ran the three cone. For perspective, in 2006, 33 of 38 linebackers (87 percent) did the drill. On Friday, only 5 of 54 defensive backs (9 percent) participated in it. Previously, the three cone drill used to be a big event for the defensive backs, as it was a proxy to measure how well corners and safeties were able to flip their hips.

When you’re losing guys year over year, it’s hard to do worse than nine percent. There’s not much more room to lose. It’ll be interesting to see what the NFL does, or doesn’t do, to solve this problem moving forward. If I had to choose, based on the prediction value of these drills, I’d get rid of the jumps if it meant having players run the agility drills. The NFL has never really spent much of its broadcast covering the agilities, though, so it could just be a data point lost to the past soon.

We’re probably at the point now where combine winners and losers will matter less than weekly pro day winners and losers, as the majority of the data we’ll be getting for this class will be in the month following the combine, instead of it all coming at once in Indianapolis. Generally, “official” (really, it’s BLESTO or National’s times at these events) times for pro day drills don’t drop until they start getting leaked via draft preview guides, like The Athletic’s The Beast — which didn’t come out until April 9th last year.

You’re gonna have to wait a little longer for those RAS cards moving forward.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...rate-keeps-dropping-especially-agility-drills

 

[Green Bay Packers]

NFL Combine Watch Thread: Sunday – Offensive Linemen

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 26: A general view of signage during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 26, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The fourth and final day of combine testing will feature the big boys on the offensive line running and jumping. As it stands right now, left tackle Rasheed Walker and swing interior offensive lineman Sean Rhyan are going to be unrestricted free agents in less than two weeks, and swing tackle Darian Kinnard is going to be a restricted free agent. On top of that, starting center Elgton Jenkins will likely become a cap casualty, too, so the Green Bay Packers could potentially have room to add four new faces on their offensive line in 2026, depending on how they feel about former draft picks Travis Glover and John Williams, who spent all of last year on injury lists instead of the active roster.

Here’s a quick rundown of the top-200 offensive line prospects at the combine, per the consensus draft board.

Tackles​

• #5 Francis Mauigoa, Miami (6’5.5”, 329)
• #6 Spencer Fano, Utah (6’5.5”, 311)
• #22 Kadyn Proctor, Alabama (6’7”, 352)
• #23 Caleb Lomu, Utah (6’6”, 313)
• #24 Monroe Freeling, Georgia (6’7”, 315)
• #38 Blake Miller, Clemson (6’7”, 317)
• #39 Max Iheanachor, Arizona State (6’6”, 321)
• #51 Gennings Dunker, Iowa (6’5”, 319)
• #65 Caleb Tiernan, Northwestern (6’8”, 323)
• #81 Brian Parker II, Duke (6’5”, 309)
• #100 Isaiah World, Oregon (invited to combine but isn’t shown as a participant on NFL.com)
• #105 Austin Barber, Florida (6’7”, 318)
• #108 Dametrious Crownover, Texas A&M (6’7”, 319)
• #124 Kage Casey, Boise State (6’6”, 310)
• #129 Drew Shelton, Penn State (6’5”, 313)
• #139 J.C. Davis, Illinois (6’4”, 322)
• #151 Jude Bowry, Boston College (6’5”, 314)
• #152 Trey Zuhn III, Texas A&M (6’6.5”, 312)
• #160 Markel Bell, Miami (6’9”, 346)
• #173 Aamil Wagner, Notre Dame (6’6”, 306)
• #186 Fa’alili Fa’amoe, Wake Forest (6’5”, 311)
• #190 Alex Harkey, Oregon (6’6”, 308)

While I’m listing these players at their college positions, it’s worth noting that the majority of scouts I’ve talked to in the league believe that Iowa’s Gennings Dunker will end up at guard at the next level, while Duke’s Brian Parker II and Texas A&M’s Trey Zuhn III will be centers. Both Parker and Zuhn got extensive time at the center position during their all-star games.

BODY pic.twitter.com/JIjBd6dHFY

— Justis Mosqueda (@JuMosq) February 12, 2026

Dametrious Crownover is the most interesting offensive lineman out of the bunch because he has an extremely high ceiling and an extremely low floor. He played right tackle for A&M, which will probably have four offensive linemen drafted this year, but Crownover has the potential to play either tackle or guard at the next level.

By the way, our own Tyler Brooke got general manager Brian Gutekunst on the record at the combine about why the line has gotten bigger in recent years.

Guards​

• #16 Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State (6’4”, 320)
• #40 Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon (6’4”, 314)
• #46 Chase Bisontis, Texas A&M (6’5”, 315)
• #78 Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech (6’4”, 316)
• #106 Billy Schrauth, Notre Dame (6’5”, 310)
• #126 Beau Stephens, Iowa (6’5.5”, 315)
• #147 Jalen Farmer, Kentucky (6’5”, 312)
• #162 Ar’maj Reed-Adams, Texas A&M (6’6”, 314)
• #172 D.J. Campbell, Texas (6’3”, 313)
• #178 Jeremiah Wright, Auburn (6’5”, 331)
• #183 Fernando Carmona, Arkansas (6’5”, 316)

BODY pic.twitter.com/HJIW9X0u29

— Justis Mosqueda (@JuMosq) February 21, 2026

Keylan Rutledge (right guard in the clip above) is another guy who is a potential center convert. (If you haven’t picked up on it yet, a lot of the guys who play center in the NFL don’t do it in college because teams need them elsewhere.) He’s a true mauler of a lineman who comes from a run-heavy smashmouth scheme. I actually like him better than Chase Bisontis, who gives up a little too much penetration on down blocks for my liking.

Centers​

• #62 Connor Lew, Auburn (6’3.5”, 310)
• #74 Jake Slaughter, Florida (6’5”, 303)
• #96 Sam Hecht, Kansas State (6’4”, 303)
• #118 Logan Jones, Iowa (6’3”, 299)
• #142 Parker Brailsford, Alabama (6’2”, 289)
• #153 Pat Coogan, Indiana (6’5”, 311)
• #164 Matt Gulbin, Michigan State (6’4”, 305)
• #177 Jager Burton, Kentucky (6’4”, 312)

Don’t expect the number one center in the class to run, as Connor Lew is coming off an ACL tear. Jake Slaughter has been a metrics darling for years now, but there were some doubters about him as a top-100 prospect in the league until he had a strong week in Mobile. For what it’s worth, I actually think Sam Hecht has a chance to be the best center in this class, as he possesses a good anchor and has a pretty well-rounded game.

The weight of Alabama’s Parker Brailsford will be interesting to monitor today. He played in the 280s this year, per sources in the scouting world, but everyone hopes he ends up at least weighing in the 290s in Indianapolis. The Packers also took multiple visits to see Michigan State play (even against lower competition like Youngstown State), which is odd considering that center Matt Gulbin is one of the team’s only NFL prospects (the only other Spartan invited to the combine is underclassman punter Ryan Eckley).

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Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...combine-watch-thread-sunday-offensive-linemen