Packers have few options to upgrade linebacker group in 2024

For new DC Jeff Hafley to call a defense like he had in San Francisco, the Packers must find upgrades at off-ball linebackers ... but from where?

Former San Francisco 49ers DC DeMeco Ryans discovered firsthand how much linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw eased the burden of defensive play-calling. True, field-tilting, space-erasing, physics-bending linebackers provide an advantage few teams can claim. Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers saw it for themselves during last month’s divisional round as Greenlaw saved San Francisco’s season with two second-half interceptions.

For new Packers DC Jeff Hafley to successfully replicate the 49ers defenses he helped coach under Robert Saleh and alongside Ryans, Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst has to find him some linebackers.

This past season, the 49ers finished No. 1 in DVOA defending the middle of the field thanks to the brilliance of the aforementioned tandem of Warner and Greenlaw. Saleh’s New York Jets landed fourth in DVOA thanks to the stalwart play of C.J. Mosley and the ascendent dynamism of Quincy Williams who claimed his first All-Pro for his stellar 2023 play.

Meanwhile, Ryans’ Houston Texans landed 13th defending the middle with a cavalcade of mediocre linebackers, a testament to the coaching and one of the better safety duos in the league. Green Bay comes in 27th, a combination of injuries at safety and a linebacker group that vastly underperformed relative to its pedigree and salary cap outlay.

Gutekunst used the 22nd pick on Quay Walker who Pro Football Focus graded 54th out of 68 linebackers who played at least 500 snaps last season. His teammate Isaiah McDuffie was worse: 60th out of 68.

Among players who played at least as many snaps as Walker, no one graded out worse. And yet, he was still better in 2023 than the previous year. It’s early in his career, but right now, he’s barely an NFL player much less a starter. He will get more room to develop, but the Packers cannot count on him as a core player regardless of scheme.

De’Vondre Campbell, though not the All-Pro we saw in 2021, was solid for Green Bay in 2023. However, the Packers would save a net of $10.6 million against the salary cap if the team designated him a post-June 1 cut. The question they’ll have to ask is whether or not the savings are worth the drop-off in play to whoever they can get to replace him.

The free-agent class offers few options at the position. Patrick Queen and Isaiah Simmons are expected to command north of $15 million per season. Even a washout like Devin White, a once-promising first-round pick, could get nearly $11 million, according to Spotrac’s projections. Does $8 million a year for Josey Jewell make the Packers better than just keeping a respected veteran like Campbell in the fold?

And the bargains at linebacker are mostly like fishing through the $5 DVD bins at Best Buy. Sure, they’re a good deal, but where did you put that DVD player? Do you still have the hookup? Do I have an HDMI cable? You need so many things to go right for the payoff that even for a small amount of money, it’s barely worth the trouble.

What about the draft? Surely the collegiate game where teams have gone to smaller, hybrid nickel fronts to stop the quarterback run game from spread, this draft must be replete with run-and-chase linebackers.

Wrong.