GREEN BAY, Wis. – While the Green Bay Packers played their best run defense in years, they didn’t get a lot of high-impact plays from their defensive line.
With Kenny Clark coming off a down season, TJ Slaton headed to free agency and a big decision looming on Devonte Wyatt’s fifth-year option, general manager Brian Gutekunst might want to add to his defensive line during free agency.
Here’s a look at the Packers’ returning depth chart, their free agents and the best available players in free agency. Overall, the free-agent group has plenty of aging depth but few field-tilting options.
Packers Depth Chart
Kenny Clark: Clark had the highest salary-cap charge of any defensive tackle in the NFL last season after signing a three-year, $64 million contract extension. However, after one of his best seasons with 7.5 sacks, nine tackles for losses and 16 quarterback hits in 2023, Clark had one sack, four tackles for losses and five quarterback hits in 2024. He went from 61 pressures to 33. The Packers badly need him to rebound with a new position coach and a second year in the scheme.
Devonte Wyatt: The 2022 first-round pick had five sacks, nine tackles for losses and nine quarterback hits in 2024. He probably would have had much better production had he not missed time with an ankle injury that really ruined his early-season momentum. Still, he ranked fourth in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snap, and 10th in pass-rush win rate.
Karl Brooks: A sixth-round pick in 2023, Brooks in two seasons has 7.5 sacks, 10 tackles for losses and 11 quarterback hits. If not for his blocked field goal at Chicago, the Packers would have finished an appalling 0-6 in NFC North games. A solid interior rusher, Brooks will play in the league for a long time.
Colby Wooden: A fourth-round pick in 2023, Wooden failed to make the opening roster in 2024. When Wyatt went down with an ankle injury, Wooden got his chance. He played the final 20 games and recorded 20 tackles, zero sacks and two tackles for losses.
James Ester: Ester was a 43-game starter at Northern Illinois, where he had four sacks as a senior. After going undrafted in 2024, he spent training camp with the Packers and the entire season on the practice squad.
Leonard Payne: The Packers signed Payne to a futures contract after the season. He went undrafted out of Colorado in 2024 and spent training camp with the Dolphins. He had 7.5 sacks during his final three college seasons.
Keith Randolph: The Packers signed Randolph to a futures contract after the season. He went undrafted out of Illinois in 2024 and spent training camp with the Bears. He had 10 sacks during his final three college seasons.
Nesta Jade Silvera: A seventh-round pick by the Raiders in 2023, the Packers signed him to a futures contract after the season. He has 10 tackles in nine career games. He had 1.5 sacks as a senior at Arizona State.
Packers Free-Agent Outlook
TJ Slaton: Slaton started all 17 games for the second consecutive season. He had one sack and two tackles for losses among 30 tackles. According to Pro Football Focus, 93 interior defensive linemen played at least 200 pass-rushing snaps. He ranked 68th in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snap, and 67th pass-rush win rate.
Slaton’s next contract, whether it’s in Green Bay or elsewhere, will be based on his run defense. According to league data, the run defense was 0.50 yards better when he was on the field. His average tackle came 1.9 yards downfield – by far the best of his career.
Best Available Free Agents
Here is our ranking of the top available free agents. (Ages are in parentheses and are for Week 1 of the upcoming season.)
Milton Williams, Eagles (26): A third-round pick in 2021, there’s a decent chance that Williams will get the biggest contract of any non-quarterback in free agency. That’s the value of mayhem-causing defensive linemen. He had five sacks, seven tackles for losses and 10 quarterback hits during the regular season, then added two sacks in the Super Bowl. In 2024, 93 interior defensive linemen played at least 200 pass-rushing snaps. According to PFF, Williams ranked second in pass-rush productivity, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snap, and fourth in pass-rush win rate.
Tershawn Wharton, Chiefs (27): An undrafted free agent in 2020 out of noted football powerhouse Missouri S&T, Wharton had a breakout season with 6.5 sacks, seven tackles for losses and 11 quarterback hits in 17 games (10 starts). He had two more sacks in the playoffs. Out of 93 defensive tackles with 200 pass-rushing snaps, he ranked 40th in PFF’s PRP and 29th in pass-rush win rate.
Jonathan Allen, Commanders (30): A first-round pick in 2017, the Commanders released the two-time Pro Bowler this week. He had three sacks, three tackles for losses and seven quarterback hits in eight games before a season-ending torn pectoral. In 16 games in 2023, he had 10 TFLs and 19 QB hits. If he would have hit our snap threshold, he would have ranked 27th in PFF’s pass-rush productivity. He’s got 60 TFLs in eight seasons.
Javon Hargrave, 49ers (32): Hargrave, a two-time Pro Bowler, reportedly will be released at the start of the league-year on Wednesday. He missed most of 2024 with a torn triceps. In 2023 with the 49ers, he had seven sacks and 14 quarterback hits to earn Pro Bowl honors. In 2022 with the Eagles, he had 11 sacks and 16 quarterback hits. Until 2024, he had missed only four games in eight seasons.
Calais Campbell, Dolphins (39): Campbell is a freak. It’s a short list of defensive linemen in NFL history who have played at such a high level at such an advanced age. He started all 17 games and recorded five sacks, 12 tackles for losses and 12 quarterback hits. He has 17 sacks the last three seasons and double-digits quarterback hits the last 12 years. Out of 93 defensive tackles with 200 pass-rushing snaps, he ranked 26th in PFF’s PRP and 24th in pass-rush win rate. He’s more than just a pass rusher, though. He remains a stud against the run. He was No. 1 among all defensive tackles in PFF’s run-stop percentage.
Bargain Buys
D.J. Jones, Broncos (30): Jones started all 17 games in 2024, giving him 90 starts the past six seasons because of a long history of solid run defense. Last season, he had one sack, one tackle for loss and three quarterback hits. Out of 93 defensive tackles with 200 pass-rushing snaps, he ranked 62nd in PFF’s PRP and 57th in pass-rush win rate. But he was fourth in run-stop percentage.
Sebastian Joseph-Day, Titans (30): In 17 games (12 starts), Joseph-Day had 2.5 sacks, three tackles for losses and six quarterback hits. Out of 93 defensive tackles with 200 pass-rushing snaps, he ranked 41st in PFF’s PRP and 76th in pass-rush win rate. He had nine TFLs with the Rams in 2022 but only six the past two seasons combined. Still, he’s a strong run defender; he finished sixth in PFF’s run-stop percentage.
Dre’Mont Jones, Seahawks (28): A third-round pick in 2019, Jones played in all 34 games the past two seasons with the Seahawks. He has 30.5 sacks in six seasons, including four last year, when he added seven tackles for losses and 13 quarterback hits. He has played tackle and end throughout his career.
Teair Tart, Chargers (28): Tart played in all 17 games (zero starts) for the Chargers and had one sack, five tackles for losses and five quarterback hits. Out of 93 defensive tackles with 200 pass-rushing snaps, he ranked 45th in PFF’s PRP and 21st in pass-rush win rate. With 3.5 sacks but 21 TFLs in five seasons, playing the run is his forte.
B.J. Hill, Bengals (30): From 2019 through 2021, Hill started seven games. From 2022 through 2024, he started 48. In 2024, he started all 15 appearances and had three sacks, seven tackles for losses and nine quarterback hits. Out of 93 defensive tackles with 200 pass-rushing snaps, he ranked 47th in PFF’s PRP. He was 10th, however, in PFF’s run-stop percentage.
Jarran Reed, Seahawks (32): Reed was a solid addition to the Packers in 2022 before returning to Seattle, the team that drafted him in 2016. In 17 games (eight starts) in 2024, he had 4.5 sacks, five tackles for losses and 15 quarterback hits. He has at least 12 hits in five consecutive seasons. Out of 93 defensive tackles with 200 pass-rushing snaps, he ranked 11th in PFF’s PRP and 25th in pass-rush win rate.
Poona Ford, Chargers (29): Ford started all 17 games in 2024 and recorded three sacks, eight tackles for losses and nine quarterback hits. Out of 93 defensive tackles with 200 pass-rushing snaps, he ranked 59th in PFF’s PRP and 48th in pass-rush win rate. At 5-foot-11 5/8, the Packers never would have drafted Ford. With 81 career starts, maybe they’d be more forgiving because of his run defense.
Sheldon Rankins, Bengals (31): A first-round pick in 2016, Rankins has 30.5 sacks for his career. In seven games (all starts) in 2024, he had one sack and one quarterback hit, with the Bengals releasing him in February. However, in 2023 with Houston, he played 15 games (all starts) and had six sacks, nine tackles for losses and 10 hits, and he finished 18th in PFF’s pass-rush productivity.
Adam Butler, Raiders (31): From 2017 through 2023, Butler started 12 games. In 2024, he started 16 games and recorded five sacks, eight tackles for losses and 10 quarterback hits. It was his fourth season of at least four sacks. Of 93 defensive tackles with 200 pass-rushing snaps, he ranked 63rd in PFF’s PRP and 60th in pass-rush win rate.
Mike Pennel, Chiefs (34): Pennel started his career with the Packers in 2014. He’s forged a strong career because he’s so stout against the run. In 17 games (seven starts) in 2024, he had three sacks – he had just two during his first 10 seasons – and three tackles for losses.
Draft Reclamation
Javon Kinlaw, Jets (27): A first-round pick in 2020, Kinlaw started 16 games during his final three seasons with the 49ers but started all 17 for the Jets in 2024. He had career highs with 4.5 sacks, 40 tackles and five tackles for losses. Out of 93 defensive tackles with 200 pass-rushing snaps, he ranked 38th in PFF’s PRP and 28th in pass-rush win rate.
Wild Card
Levi Onwuzurike, Lions (27): A second-round pick in 2021, Onwuzurike played in 16 games with 10 starts and recorded 1.5 sacks, one tackle for loss and 13 quarterback hits. Out of 93 defensive tackles with 200 pass-rushing snaps, he ranked 17th in PFF’s PRP and 13th in pass-rush win rate. Critically, he sat out the entire 2022 season following spinal-fusion surgery. Based on youth and talent, he’ll be one of highest-paid defensive tackles this offseason, even though he has only 3.5 sacks and four TFLs in 42 games.
If the #Packers intend to sign an edge rusher/defensive end, here are the best-available free agents, some bargain options and draft reclamations. ⬇️https://t.co/I8DEAXSaMD
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) March 8, 2025