GREEN BAY, Wis. — In an effort to bolster the back end of their offensive line, the Green Bay Packers are acquiring offensive tackle Darian Kinnard from the Philadelphia Eagles.
According to ESPN, the Packers are sending the defending champions a 2027 sixth-round selection in exchange for Kinnard. Luke Butkus, the Packers' offensive line coach, said this past week that the team's depth wasn't where they wanted to be. This certainly reflects those feelings as the Packers bring aboard a young, inexperienced player.
Kinnard, who was drafted at No. 145 overall, was on the board for the Packers in the spring of 2022. They've been enamored with him for quite some time—he was one of several players to take a pre-draft visit in Green Bay. Instead, they selected Zach Tom five spots earlier, who they signed to a massive contract extension earlier this summer.
A former fifth-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs, Kinnard doesn't celebrate his 26th birthday until December and he already has three Super Bowl rings to his name. He's one of only two players in league history to win three consecutive Super Bowls, sharing the prestigious honor with Ken Norton Jr.
(Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
Kinnard appeared in just one game as a rookie while bouncing back and forth between the active roster and practice squad. He was on the roster for the Chiefs' back-to-back championship victories before landing with the Eagles in February of 2024. His first career start game in last year's regular-season finale against the New York Giants when the Eagles were resting their starters in preparation for the playoffs—they were already the top-seeded team in the conference.
Kinnard logged 43 pass-blocking snaps in that game, surrendering three pressures and being held responsible for one sack.
Much of Kinnard's time on the field has come during the preseason. Dating back to 2022, Kinnard has played 285 total snaps at right tackle and 187 at right guard—he's accounted for 17 pressures allowed, including six this preseason alone.
The Packers were left uninspired by the battles for the eighth and ninth spots along the offensive line. Jacob Monk missed Saturday's exhibition finale against the Seattle Seahawks with an undisclosed injury and Donovan Jennings got the start at right guard. The Packers know who resides at the top of the depth chart and who their roster locks are, but if injury were to strike again the same way that it did in January's Wild Card loss to the Eagles, they have to be able to trust who they deploy. Travis Glover—currently on injured reserve for the entire 2025 season—and Kadeem Telfort essentially helped expedite the Packers' shortcomings. That can't happen again.
Monk is currently projected to enter the season as one of the Packers' two backup centers, so the addition of Kinnard may not impact him much if at all. Jennings and Telfort, however, could see their time in Green Bay come to an end barring a return on the practice squad.
It's unclear just where the Packers will plug Kinnard. At 6'5" and 322 pounds, he entered the league as a guard but has since converted to tackle. He has professional experience—albeit in the preseason—at both positions and the Packers' coaching staff has a tendency to cross-train their offensive linemen.
Dealing Kinnard to the Packers was the third trade executed by Eagles general manager Howie Roseman on Sunday. He acquired quarterback Sam Howell from the Minnesota Vikings and offensive tackle Fred Johnson from the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier in the day.
Zachary Jacobson is the Editor-in-Chief of Packer Report. He is entering his 11th season covering theGreen Bay Packers. He is a member of thePro Football Writers of America. Follow him on Twitter@zacobson or contact him via email atitszachariahj@gmail.com