The Green Bay Packers made their first move of the offseason at the inside linebacker position, signing veteran Christian Kirksey to a two-year deal on Monday.
Kirksey, who played under Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine for two years in Cleveland, will replace Blake Martinez as the leader in the middle of Pettine’s defense in Green Bay.
Here’s a full breakdown of the Packers adding Kirksey, including a film breakdown and an assessment of his fit in Green Bay:
What he can do
– So energetic and aggressive. Motor is always running red hot. Easy to tell his energy rubs off on teammates
– Fluid athlete but not necessarily explosive. Range is good but not great. Instincts help him play fast
– Instincts show up against screens. Several instances of him sniffing out a screen and beating the herd of offensive linemen to the spot for a stop
– Good burst on the blitz and can pack a punch as a rusher. Majority of pass-rushing production came off stunted blitzes and A-gap overloads. Physical enough to disengage from blocks and close the space on the quarterback. Beat Eagles’ standout guard Brandon Brooks for a third-down sack
– A little undersized. Doesn’t play small but can get overwhelmed by second-level blockers. Usually better avoiding blockers than going through them
– Good at sorting through traffic on inside runs. Made a ton of stops against the run in 2016 and 2017 by diagnosing early and playing downhill. Keep him mostly clean and he’ll shoot gaps and make plays at or near the line of scrimmage
– Can really be disruptive against wide zone runs. Flows to the football with patience and understands when to shut off cut-back lanes and attack angles
– Missed way too many tackles in limited action the last two years. Looked like a much more confident and explosive hitter and tackler before injuries
– Covering could be an issue. Gave up a ton of completions underneath his coverage in the Browns scheme and has some limitations in man to man coverage. Good route runners gave him trouble in space. Does his best work against the pass when he’s able to sit back, read short passing concepts and drive on the ball. Generally a solid tackler in the open field against running backs and tight ends
– Awareness is strong in zone coverage. Good communicator when passing off receivers over the middle of the field
How he fits
The Packers are rebuilding the inside linebacker position, likely with Kirksey as the three-down centerpiece for 2020. He has some limitations, and his injury history is worrisome (missed 23 games the last two years), but Kirksey also has 73 games of NFL experience and past history with Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine in Cleveland (2014-15). He’ll know the scheme and how Pettine wants it played on every down and at every level, and it’s certainly possible he’ll be an immediate upgrade – both in terms of ability and fit within the defense – on Blake Martinez, who struggled to handle all the taxing responsibilities of the scheme. Pairing Kirksey with an athletic and capable running mate could really elevate the overall performance level of the inside linebacker position in 2020. Teammates are also going to love Kirksey’s energy on the field and his impressive leadership traits off of it.
Impact of adding him
Signing Kirksey is a relatively cheap and low-risk way of patching the hole at inside linebacker. By no means should the Packers consider the position complete, especially with Kirksey’s recent injury history, but adding him certainly lessens the need to find a Day 1 starter in the draft. Needless to say, Kirksey’s arrival all but guarantees the exit of Blake Martinez, who is expected to find a rich deal in free agency. The Packers could still fit in another free agent linebacker with some creative work on the cap, and Cory Littleton and Joe Schobert are both without deals as of this writing, but it’s likely that Kirksey will end up being the team’s big move at linebacker in free agency.
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