Packers lose OT Yosh Nijman to Carolina Panthers

Former Packers OT Yosh Nijman is signing with the Carolina Panthers.

The Carolina Panthers are signing former Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Yosh Nijman, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the deal is for two years, includes $5 million guaranteed, has a $8 million base value and is worth up to $15 million.

The Packers signed Nijman as an undrafted free agent out of Virginia Tech in 2019. He developed on the practice squad before joining the 53-man roster in 2020. Nijman went on to play in 67 career games and made 22 starts across four accrued seasons with the Packers.

Between 2021 and 2022, Nijman made 21 starts at left or right tackle. After returning to the Packers on the restricted tender in 2023, he made just one start — after losing out to both Zach Tom and Rasheed Walker at offensive tackle — and played just over 200 offensive snaps total.

In Carolina, Nijman will get a new opportunity to win a starting job for an offensive line in transition.

According to Pro Football Focus, Nijman gave up two sacks, 10 total pressures and committed two penalties over 139 pass-blocking snaps in 2023. He played 198 snaps at left tackle and 32 at right tackle.

Nijman is the sixth Packers player to be released or sign elsewhere this offseason.

The Packers have lost both Nijman and David Bakhtiari at offensive tackle, and starting guard Jon Runyan Jr. signed with the New York Giants. Expect significant investments to be made along the offensive line during the 2024 draft.

Packers re-sign CB Robert Rochell

The Packers re-signed cornerback Robert Rochell.

The Green Bay Packers re-signed cornerback Robert Rochell, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.

Rochell, who turns 26 next month, played in nine games for the Packers last season. The 2021 fourth-round pick was claimed off of waivers from the Carolina Panthers in October.

Overall, Rochell played 112 snaps on special teams and made four special teams tackles across his nine appearances for the Packers in 2023.

Rochell played four different special teams groups: punt coverage, punt return, kickoff coverage and kick return. He didn’t have a penalty or a missed tackle.

Rochell, who became an unrestricted free agent after the Packers passed on offering a restricted tender, is the sixth player with an expiring contract to re-sign with the Packers, joining tight end Tyler Davis, cornerback Keisean Nixon, cornerback Corey Ballentine, running back A.J. Dillon and linebacker Kristian Welch.

In better salary cap shape, Packers pass on converting roster bonuses for Jaire Alexander, Elgton Jenkins

The Packers paid out roster bonuses to Jaire Alexander and Elgton Jenkins. The payments are a sign of improving salary cap health in Green Bay.

A sign of improving health on the salary cap front for the Green Bay Packers: General manager Brian Gutekunst and executive vice president Russ Ball paid out roster bonuses to cornerback Jaire Alexander and left guard Elgton Jenkins, per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Why are the payments significant to the salary cap? Converting roster bonuses into signings bonuses, a common lever pulled by the Packers and many other teams in recent years, is a useful way to create salary cap space in the present for team that need immediate operating room. But the moves create problems in future years, and the Packers have been feeling the pain of going all-in financially at the end of the Aaron Rodgers era.

When converting the roster bonus, the total can be prorated on the cap over the remaining years of the contract, lowering the cap number in the current year but adding cap commitments in future years.

Instead of spreading out the cap hits, the Packers paid out the roster bonuses and kept all the cap on the books for 2024. Gutekunst and Ball just didn’t need to pull the lever to create space because the Packers are still roughly $24 million under the cap as of March 18, per Over the Cap.

Alexander is under contract through the 2026 season with a void year added in 2027. Jenkins is under contract through the 2026 season with no void years.

Preston Smith also had a $5.4 million roster bonus paid out on March 16.

Factoring in Smith’s roster bonus, the Packers had the opportunity to create almost $15 million in salary cap space with conversions. But even after signing Xavier McKinney and Josh Jacobs to top-of-market deals, the Packers don’t need the space and can avoid kicking the can down the road.

Still plenty of work for Packers to do at safety position

The Packers took a big free agency swing, signing Xavier McKinney, but there is still work to be done addressing the safety position.

The Green Bay Packers made a big free agency splash, landing safety Xavier McKinney. While the addition of McKinney goes a long way in solving the Packers need at safety and lays a strong foundation at that position, the job for GM Brian Gutekunst is not done yet.

Along with McKinney, the only other safeties on the roster are Zayne Anderson, Benny Sapp, and Anthony Johnson. Anderson is a special teams contributor, as is Sapp, if on the roster. Hopefully, Johnson can continue to develop, but the Packers aren’t going to bank on that with their roster-building strategy.

The Packers have almost no experienced depth on the roster, not to mention that McKinney’s running mate likely isn’t even on the team yet.

From playing deep to lining up in the box or even in the slot, McKinney can fill any role that would be needed from a safety. Where he lines up each week will be dependent upon the opponent and the game plan. However, McKinney will take the majority of his snaps this season as the post-safety since that is where he can provide the most value and make the greatest impact.

As Gutekunst mentioned at the NFL combine, versatility at the safety position is very important. Gutekunst wants the two safety spots and the nickel cornerback to be “interchangeable,” as he put it. So, while the Packers will want to add someone to the roster who has the ability to play deep, a box presence would be an ideal pairing with McKinney, who, again, will spend a lot of time deep.

The top available safety in free agency is Julian Blackmon, who would check those boxes that I just described. Tashaun Gipson, who played under Jeff Hafley when he was the defensive backs coach in Cleveland, Mike Edwards, and John Johnson are three other available free agents.

The Packers have $24.55 million in available cap space, according to Over the Cap, and while a decent portion of that isn’t going to go towards free agents because there are incoming cap expenses coming down the pipeline, such as signing the 2024 draft class, which is projected to take up over $13 million in cap space, many of the safety contracts earned this offseason come with quite reasonable cap hits.

Jordan Fuller signed a one-year deal worth up to $5.25 million. Veteran Jordan Poyer is playing on a one-year deal for $2 million. Kamren Curl joined the Rams at $4.3 million per year over two seasons, while Alohi Gilman is earning just over $5 million on average for the next two years.

With five picks in the top 100, the Packers have the means to address the safety position in the upcoming NFL Draft. With that said, overall this is considered a so-so safety class, and this can often be a position where an immediate impact isn’t made, especially the further into the draft a team gets before addressing that need.

On Daniel Jeremiah’s most recent big board, he does not have any safeties ranked inside the top 50, unless the Packers were to land Cooper DeJean and move him there.

Some of the top players from this position group include Tyler Nubin, Javon Bullard, Jaden Hicks, Kamren Kinchens – who may be off the Packers’ board due to his combine numbers – and Calen Bullock.

Outside of some meat-and-potato additions to bolster the competition to the middle or back ends of the depth chart at certain position groups, the Packers could be done dabbling in free agency in a significant way for the time being.

Unless the Packers were to land Blackmon – which I would guess is a move that would require Blackmon to be available at the right price given the money already spent by the Packers in free agency – this could be a situation where a player like Rudy Ford is signed, Gutekunst sees how the draft unfolds, and if a need still persists, then perhaps sometime before training camp he signs a veteran like Gipson to round out the roster.

Packers give CB Corey Ballentine a $500K signing bonus in new contract

The Green Bay Packers paid cornerback Corey Ballentine like they believe he’s going to make the 53-man roster and contribute in 2024.

The Green Bay Packers paid cornerback Corey Ballentine like they believe he’s going to make the 53-man roster and contribute in 2024. According to numbers from both Over the Cap and Ken Ingalls, Ballentine received a $500,000 signing bonus, $220,000 in total per-game roster bonuses and a $100,000 in workout bonus. His base salary is $1,280,000, or slightly more than the minimum base salary for a player with five accrued seasons.

Ballentine, who started six games and played over 600 total snaps on defense and special teams last season, will have a cap number of $2,061,175 in 2024.

The only guaranteed money is the signing bonus. But if Ballentine doesn’t make the roster, he’ll still count $500,000 against the Packers cap in 2024.

The numbers suggest the Packers might have had competition to sign Ballentine in free agency. The numbers also suggest the Packers think he can compete for snaps as a backup cornerback and provide a core member of the special teams.

Ballentine set a career high and finished second on the team with seven passes defensed last season. He also tallied his first career interception in the first half of the Packers’ Week 17 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

Per Pro Football Focus, Ballentine allowed 58 percent completions and a 79.4 passer rating into his coverage. He broke up more passes than Jaire Alexander despite playing only roughly 20 more snaps on defense.

Ballentine was a core special teamer in eight straight games to end the 2022 season and his first six games in 2023. The speedy cornerback, a sixth-round pick of the New York Giants in 2019, was acquired by the Packers as a practice squad signing in September of 2022.

Quick look at 2024 NFL draft landscape at linebacker for Packers

The Packers need linebackers. The best avenue for adding at this point? The 2024 draft.

Brian Gutekunst went to the market to sign a veteran linebacker to pair with Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie. Unfortunately, Green Bay’s general manager discovered that the linebacker aisle was picked over, like the toy aisle the day before Christmas. 

With the linebacker market barren, the Packers will likely need to trade for a veteran or use the draft to bolster the linebacker room at 1265 Lombardi Avenue. Let’s take a look at some linebackers that the Packers could target in the 2024 NFL draft.

Potential Target at 25

Edgerrin Cooper, Texas A&M

Cooper is an explosive mover and a true difference-maker. He can impact the game as a run defender, as a blitzer, or in coverage. If Cooper were to land in Green Bay he’d be the best linebacker on the roster, and no that’s not a shot at Walker. It’s a credit to Cooper. 

Cooper may be viewed as a bit of a reach in the first round, but the same thing can be said about Eric Stokes, Quay Walker, etc. Cooper would be a home run pick at 41, but Gutekunst may see the value in taking the impactful linebacker with the 25th overall pick. 

Day 2 Targets

Cedric Gray, UNC

Gray was all over the field this past season for the Tar Heels. He recorded 121 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and five sacks. The UNC linebacker works his way through the trash against the run and has the movement skills to hold up in coverage.

Junior Colson, Michigan

Mr. Always in the Right Place at the Right Time, Colson would be a steady presence in the middle of Green Bay’s defense. Colson is comfortable dropping in space and does a good job of reading the quarterback’s eyes. He has the range as a run defender to shut-down outside runs and is a reliable tackler. He is quick to diagnose and beats blockers to the spot. 

Payton Wilson, NC State

Every team could use a Payton Wilson. If he had a clean bill of health (two leg injuries), he’d be in the Potential Target at 25 tier with Cooper. The NC State product is the complete package at linebacker. He’s a physical, downhill defender against the run and he has the movement skills to hold up in coverage.

Day 3 Targets

Edefuan Ulofoshio, Washington

From walk-on to captain, Ulofoshio had quite the journey during his time at Washington. The Alaska native is all heart and his motor is always running. He trusts his eyes and is quick to react to meet ball carriers in the hole. The Husky linebacker shows good instincts in coverage.

Jordan Magee, Temple

Magee isn’t a hulking linebacker, but he has the functional strength to destroy blocks and disrupt the action. He’s a smart player that is quick to read and react. The Temple linebacker gets good depth on his drops and looks comfortable moving laterally. Magee logged 307 snaps on special teams during his collegiate career and could carve out a role in that regard immediately as a rookie. 

Marist Liufau, Notre Dame

Liufau plays like his hair is on fire and is relentless in his pursuit of the ball carrier. He has the sideline-to-sideline quickness and is comfortable dropping into space.

Trevin Wallace, Kentucky

Wallace is an outstanding athlete with the sideline-to-sideline range to chase down ball carriers. A former track athlete, Wallace is the type of prospect that Gutekunst has a history of targeting. If his instincts ever catch up to his athletic traits, Wallace could develop into quite the difference-maker at the next level.

Curtis Jacobs, Penn State

A team will roll the dice on the Penn State linebacker’s athletic traits. With his quickness and his experience on special teams, it’s a safe bet that he could develop into a core player on special teams. Jacobs is a twitched-up athlete with the movement skills to hold up on coverage. 

JD Bertrand, Notre Dame

Bertrand is a cerebral player who trusts his eyes and is quick to read the action. He’s a downhill player, who does a good job of sifting through the trash to locate the ball carrier. With his instincts, relentless motor and special teams experience, Bertrand would be a solid addition to Green Bay’s linebacker room. 

Top 30 visits tell us a lot about Packers’ draft strategy

Teams will host 30 prospects for official visits in the pre-draft process and those meetings tell us a lot about the Packers’ draft strategy.

As reports of NFL draft prospects taking official top 30 visits begin to come out, pay very close attention to who the Green Bay Packers are having in because, under GM Brian Gutekunst, there’s been a strong connection between who visits and who the Packers select.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Of course, there is a strong connection between visits and draft picks. That’s why the Packers have them in—they are interested, to at least some degree.

And while, yes, that is true, the correlation between top 30 visits and eventual draft picks isn’t as strong with other NFL teams. Even with former Packers GM Ted Thompson, there wasn’t a ton that could be gleaned from top 30 visits and who he was going to select.

Last year, four of the Packers official 30 visits ended up as draft picks by Gutekunst, with three more eventually joining the team as either an undrafted rookie in Kadeem Telfort and Camren McDonald, or Ben Sims, who was claimed off waivers when released by Minnesota.

In 2022, six of the top 30 visits ended up as Gutekunst selections, with three more being signed as undrafted rookies. So, in the last two years, 16 of the 60 visits (or almost 27 percent) have been members of the Packers.

The 2021 offseason was the outlier for Gutekunst, where no top 30 visitors ended up being drafted. But in 2020, there were two. In 2019, three, and in 2018, there were again six.

These visits provide the team and the prospects with the opportunity to meet one-on-one with the general manager, coaching staff, and even scouts. The organization gets the chance to know each player a bit better. They’ll also go over film with them to learn about their thought and decision-making processes on the football field.

These visits also give teams a chance to address any red flags that may have popped up, go through medicals, and get an idea of how that player would fit within the locker room.

“I think any time you have a chance to sit down with players in your facility, (you) get to know them a little bit better,” said Gutekunst. “I just thought for me and how I wanted to go about it, yes, I wanted to have some face-to-face time with individually. I also think getting them with our coaching staff and seeing how they might fit in our room and our team locker room was important.”

Thompson would often bring in many late-round or even potential undrafted prospects for these visits, and while Gutekunst still does that as well, he has also prioritized meeting with prospects who are going to be selected in the top 100 as well.

The Packers currently hold 11 draft picks in total, which is tied for the most in the NFL, with five of those selections coming within the top 100.

With the first wave of free agency behind us, there are several positional needs that the Packers still have to address, including building out the safety and offensive line depth, finding a starting-caliber linebacker, and adding more competition to the running back room, among others.

Click here to stay up to date with all of the reported top 30 visits the Packers will have this draft cycle.

Packers running low on free agent options at LB position

Linebacker is a big need for the Packers but they’re running low on free agent options, putting an emphasis on the draft or even a trade.

We are nearly a week in from when the NFL’s legal tampering period began, and the linebacker position remains a big need for the Green Bay Packers, with free agency options very quickly dwindling.

After releasing De’Vondre Campbell, the Packers are left with Quay Walker, who we know will be a starter, and Isaiah McDuffie, who showed last year that he can be a capable starter. The Packers re-signed Kristian Welch, who was a core special teams player but not someone we will see on defense, along with Christian Young, who was signed to a futures deal in January.

As general manager Brian Gutekunst said at his season-ending press conference, this is a 4-2-5 league, meaning the majority of the Packers’ defensive snaps are going to come with two inside linebackers on the field. However, Gutekunst also mentioned at the combine that with the defense shifting to a 4-3, additional linebacker depth is going to be needed, both for over the summer and combined between the eventual 53-man roster and practice squad.

Right now, the Packers do not have that depth nor even a third starter who could line up next to Walker and McDuffie when they are in their base defense.

And, unfortunately, when it comes to finding an impact player, the free agent market is pretty picked over already.

The best linebacker still available, according to PFF, is Zach Cunningham, who is listed at 166th overall in the top 200 free agent rankings this offseason. The only other available linebackers at the moment on PFF’s list are Shaq Leonard and Isaiah Simmons.

All three have experience, and perhaps the Packers will take a swing on one of them, hoping that they strike gold like they did with De’Vondre Campbell in 2021–although that’s certainly not something to bank on either.

Given how the free agent market currently looks, the Packers best chance of finding some immediate impact help is going to come in the draft.

Widely considered the top two prospects in this year’s draft are Payton Wilson from NC State and Edgerrin Cooper from Texas A&M. Taking either at pick 25 may be a bit rich, but if available, one would think both are very much in play at pick 42 for the Packers.

Other linebacker prospects to know are Cedric Cooper from North Carolina, Jeremiah Trotter from Clemson, Junior Colson from Michigan, and Edefuan Ulofoshio from Washington.

Overall, this isn’t an overly strong linebacker class, and if the Packers are not able to address this need promptly in the draft, finding immediate help becomes more difficult.

I suppose a third option could be Gutekunst exploring a trade for a veteran–although I’m not exactly sure who may even be available. Making a trade – although not specific to the linebacker position – is something that Gutekunst has referenced doing this offseason because the Packers do have an abundance of draft capital.

Tom Silverstein reported that the Packers do have interest in bringing Eric Wilson back, who would provide experienced depth at linebacker along with being a core special teams contributor. But, ideally, he’s on the team for depth, not to see significant defensive snaps.

When it comes to the aforementioned, Simmons, Leonard, Cunningham, or whoever else the Packers could have their eyes on, that type of addition may not take place until after the Packers see how the draft plays out, much like they did with Campbell, who was signed in June of 2021.

The key to the linebacker position for the Packers is going to be Quay Walker. He could slot in as the middle linebacker or the weak-side linebacker in Jeff Hafley’s 4-3 defense.

Where he will specifically end up remains to be seen. All we know is that Hafley said the goal is to put Walker into consistent positions to make plays. Where that ends up being will, to a degree, probably depend on how the Packers build out the rest of this linebacker room.

Unpacking Future Packers: No. 52, Missouri OT Javon Foster

Up next in the Unpacking Future Packers draft preview series is Missouri offensive tackle Javon Foster.

The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2024 NFL draft.

Death, taxes, and the Green Bay Packers drafting offensive linemen on Day 3 and developing them into studs. Those are the three constants in life. 

With the Packers needing to bolster the depth across the offensive line it’s a safe bet that Brian Gutekunst uses one or two picks on Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft on an offensive lineman. 

A potential Day 3 target as the Packers look for tackle depth is Javon Foster. The Missouri offensive tackle checks in at No. 52 in the Unpacking Future Packers Countdown.

Foster, a three-star recruit out of Michigan started 41 games at Missouri, with 39 of those starts coming at left tackle and the other two coming at right tackle.  

“Consistency is what I think of when looking at Foster,” Parker Gillam, the Missouri beat writer for RockMNation.com, said. “He’s been a mainstay in the starting rotation and has always been a player that Drinkwitz and Co. can trust to both run behind and protect the quarterback. His 6-foot-5, 319 lb. frame is ideal for an NFL tackle, but his large wingspan is perhaps his most notable physical attribute.”

At 6-5 with long arms, Foster has an ideal frame and looks every bit of the part of an NFL offensive tackle. He pesters edge rushers with his length. He has powerful, active hands to thwart edge rushers. This past season, Foster gave up just one sack and 13 pressures. 

“Reliable is a term thrown around loosely, but it fits Foster perfectly,” Gillam said. “Brady Cook really didn’t fear his blind side during the 2023 season because he knew Foster wasn’t letting anybody by without a fight. He generally took on the opponent’s top pass-rusher and held his own, and I’ll again point at his reach and athleticism as major reasons why. On top of that, after so many years within the program, Foster’s technique is really strong.”

Foster shows good mobility as a run blocker and is comfortable on his feet. He latches onto a defender and can drive them downfield. Foster dominates at the point of contact and overwhelms defenders with his strength. 

“Foster has worked within a running scheme that requires him to display great quickness in pulling or getting to the edge, as the stretch zone system that the Tiger offense has employed for years forces its linemen to be athletes,” Gillam said. “Foster has done well to adapt and become a guy that defenders fear when they see him coming down the tracks. It was a group effort for sure, but Cody Schrader’s phenomenal 2023 campaign can be attributed to the consistency, athleticism and mastery of the system that Foster displayed.”

Fit with the Packers

As it stands right now, Rasheed Walker is the starting left tackle and Zach Tom is the starting right tackle for the Packers. Barring an injury, those two former Day 3 draft picks figure to be the week-one starting tackles for the Packers. The depth behind those two doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence.

With his experience starting at left and right tackle, Foster could be the ideal swing tackle for the Packers, with the potential to challenge Walker for snaps at left tackle. 

“Foster is a proven, reliable presence on the edge,” Gillam said. “He’s worth taking a mid-round pick given his experience in playing within a high-caliber league, physical tools and solid film. Foster may not step in and be a day-one starter for an NFL team, but with how he’s progressed over his time as a Tiger, it’s safe to assume that he should develop well given the appropriate coaching at the next level.”

Foster improved each season during his time at Missouri. He checks the boxes with his frame, experience, and athleticism. Given Green Bay’s track record of developing Day 3 offensive linemen, it would be a safe bet that Foster’s improvement would continue at 1265 Lombardi Avenue. 

Packers special teams unit gets its ‘right hand’ back, re-signing Tyler Davis

The Green Bay Packers special teams unit gets a major, and much-needed, boost with the team re-signing free agent Tyler Davis.

In re-signing Tyler Davis this past week, the Green Bay Packers special teams unit got its “right hand” back, as Rich Bisaccia put it last summer when describing Davis’ impact.

Unfortunately, Davis’ 2023 season was cut very short after he suffered an ACL injury in the Packers’ preseason matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals.

On offense, the plan was always to have Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft grow and develop through experience and being thrown into the fire to a degree. But not having Davis took away an experienced blocking presence for Matt LaFleur to potentially lean on at times.

However, Davis was always going to make the biggest impact on special teams, where he filled a variety of roles and did so at a high level.

“I feel like to some degree we lost our right hand, you know?” special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia said following Davis’ injury. “He was an exceptional special-teams player, someone that you could count on in every critical situation, count on to play multiple positions. He’s a big-bodied guy who can really run, was a double-digit tackler a year ago.”

In Bisaccia’s first offseason with the team in 2022, before he even had the opportunity to see everyone on the field, up close, and in pads, Bisaccia, like all new coaches do, watched the film from the previous season to get an idea of what he was working with, and Davis was someone who he mentioned really standing out on the film.

In 2022, Davis led the Packers in special teams snaps and played across five different phases. The only unit he didn’t contribute to was the field goal-blocking team. Otherwise, Davis was on the field. Davis also finished third in tackles on the team that year as well.

“I really haven’t gotten very comfortable with not having Tyler Davis to this point,” added Bisaccia last August, “because of who he is and how much he puts into it and how important it is to him and how he feels about the Green Bay Packers and being a part of this. So, losing him is a big blow to our unit, I think it’s a blow to our team.”

Last season was another disappointing year for the Packers’ special teams unit. Instead of making a jump in Bisaccia’s second season, they seemed to regress and finished 29th in Rick Gosselin’s annual rankings.

Bringing Davis back is a low-risk move for the Packers, but it is one that could make an impact. From a salary cap standpoint, Davis only accounts for $1.07 million against the cap if on the team, but if the Packers choose to release him, there are no salary cap ramifications.

On the flip side, if Davis makes the Packers final roster, they have a core special teams contributor who can impact that phase of the game in a variety of ways.

During training camp and the preseason, Davis will also elevate the competition on the tight end depth chart behind Musgrave and Kraft, as he’s someone who is able to compete with Ben Sims for that blocking-specific role within the offense. I also could see the Packers experimenting with Davis in the H-back role, with Josiah Deguara potentially signing elsewhere as a free agent.

One would think that Davis is excited to be back in Green Bay and have the opportunity to contribute to a team with high expectations. I also think it’s a safe bet to say that Rich Bisaccia is pretty excited as well.