The Packers and Film

Now that free agency has come to an end, it appears that the Packers have made most of the moves that they will make before the Draft in April. In terms of the other teams around the NFL, the Packers had a relatively quiet free agency, without signing any big names. However, the Packers did sign some solid pieces, but they also let some big contributers walk as well. Here is how I would grade every move the Packers made in free agency.

Losing Romeo Doubs to the Patriots- C–

The Packers receiving core was already weak last year. Players like Christian Watson and Jayden Reed dealt with many injuries throughout the season and missed multiple games. One of the only receivers on the Packers to stay healthy was Romeo Doubs, who in addition led the team in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Losing a good contributer in a weak area of the team was a bad choice for the Packers. The only reason it gets a C- is that Doubs was not a superstar receiver, and the Packers signed receiver depth in free agency. Also, with less targets on the team, it will give Matthew Golden a chance to break out in his sophomore season.

Losing Quay Walker to the Raiders- F

Quay Walker was, outside of Micah Parsons, arguably the most impactful defensive player on the Packers last season. Walker was first on the Packers in total tackles, and second on the Packers in solo tackles and tackles for loss. The Packers defense was one of the better units in football last year, and Walker was a big part of it. He is a player the Packers should’ve put more of an effort into resigning. Losing him, the Packers lose a key contributer and depth, and while they made an effort to sign some additional defensive players for depth, none of the players were as impactful for their teams as Walker was for the Packers.

Losing Malik Willis to the Dolphins- C

Malik Willis showed out in the games Jordan Love was out. Last season, through two games, Malik Willis put up 409 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions with a completion percentage of 83.75% and a passer rating of 138.7, along with 104 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. In addition to that great two game stretch, Malik Willis filled in when Jordan Love was injured in the 2024-2025 season, leading the Packers to two wins while passing for 338 yards, two total touchdowns, and zero interceptions with a completion percentage of 72.65% and a passer rating of 115.35, along with 96 rushing yards. Willis was a great backup for the Packers, and after Love went down at points the last two seasons, Willis stepped up and gave the Packers some competent quarterback play. If Love goes down next year, the Packers will miss Willis. However, it is a C, because Willis was a backup quarterback, and to keep him on the team, it would have cost a lot of money, and had too big of an impact on the cap for a player who may not even see the field through a full season.

Releasing Elgton Jenkins- F

Jenkins may have been the best offensive lineman on the Packers last season, and he has been the best for the past two to three years. The two time pro bowler, though coming off a major injury, has been very effective through his seven seasons with the Packers. With no first round picks, it is a big mistake to let the biggest asset on the offensive line go. An even bigger mistake is, instead of retaining Jenkins, the Packers resigned offensive lineman Sean Rhyan, who was one of the biggest blemishes on the line last season, struggling in several games with penalty problems and getting beat by various defensive lineman. It was a big mistake to keep him over Jenkins, and I believe the Packers offensive line will suffer greatly because of it.

Losing Kingsley Enagbare to the Jets- B

Enagbare was a solid contributer to the Packers defense last season. He ranked third on the defense in quarterback hits and fourth in tackles for loss. However, in many of the otherr categories, such as tackles and assisted tackles, Enagbare ranked far lower on the Packers defense. He is a limited type of defender, who does one aspect fairly well, but there are several holes in his game. While the Packers have struggled to get to the quarterback and to generate pressure in the past, the Packers now have a plethora of players who have had trremendous success getting to the quarterback, including Micah Parsons, Devonte Wyatt, and Lukas Van Ness. While Enagbare is an effective player, the Packers made the right move not bringing him back.

Trading Rashan Gary to the Cowboys- B+

The Packers traded edge rusher Rashan Gary away to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth round pick. While a fourth rounder doesn’t seem like much value to get from a former first round pick, I believe the Packers made a great move in moving off of Gary. Last season, when the Packers made the move to trade for Micah Parsons, one of the narratives was how Parsons was going to bring extra offensive lineman to block him, giving Rashan Gary more space and giving him more opportunites to get to the quarterback. However, Gary’s numbers did not improve. They decreased. Gary’s combined tackles, solo tackles, assisted tackles, and tackles for loss were down from what they were a season ago. In addition, Gary had a big contract, which would have cost $19.5 million. Trading Gary away means the Packers get away from a declining defensive player, without having to pay off the contract.

Releasing Nate Hobbs- B

Last offseason, one of the biggest signings the Packers made was bringing in Nate Hobbs. He was expected to come in and change the secondary of the Packers overnight, and instead, Hobbs was one of the biggest disappointments on the team last year. Hobbs regressed from being a top end cornerback to being deeply mediocre. His interceptions, pass deflections, combined tackles, solo tackles, total tackles, and approximate value all went down from the 2024 season to the 2025 season. In addition, Hobbs was signed to a giant contract that saw him get $48 million over two years, $19.4 million of which was guaranteed. The Packers needed to cut Hobbs, and it was a good decision to do so. The only reason it is not higher is because, due to the guaranteed money, the Packers will have millions of dollars in dead cap now.

Trading for Zaire Franklin- A

Last year, Zaire Franklin had a down year. His tackle and sack numbers were both down from 2024. However, that meant the Packers got him for cheap. The Packers gave up no picks, and only gave up Colby Wooden, a player who had worse stats than Franklin did last year in a down year. When Franklin is at his best, he is an all pro and pro bowl level player, which he was in 2024. And even in a down year, Franklin’s stats were still good. In fact, Franklin would have been second on the Packers in total, assisted, and solo tackles, third in tackles for loss, and fifth in sacks. Even in a down year, Franklin would have been one of the biggest contributers on the Packers defense last season. So, if Franklin comes in with similar production, he will make a big impact. However, if Franklin plays as well as he did in 2024, he could be one of the best players on the Packers defense next year.

Signing Benjamin St. Juste- C

Over the course of his four year career, St. Juste hasn’t given any signs that he would be a high end corner. He has been deeply mediocre throughout his career, not even cracking 50 total tackles last year, and only one interception, half of the total interceptions of his career. The one part St. Juste has done well is pass deflections, which he had 7 of last year. However, that would have been third on the Packers last season, who was already scrutinized heavily. However, the contract the Packers gave St. Juste is very low, with only $10 million over two years, with only $3 million guaranteed. If he does not play well, the Packers can cut him with little dead cap.

Signing Skyy Moore- B+

Through the past several seasons, the Packers have ranked close to the bottom of the league in terms of its special teams play. Moore is a return specialist that should be able to help right away. Last season, Moore ranked 8th in the NFL in kickoff return yards and 10th in punt return yards. Having a return man like Moore will be great for the Packers special teams, and also great for the offense, as Moore will help get Jordan Love better starting field position on each of his returns. In addition, Moore is a speedy receiver, and a great offensive mind like Lafleur will probably have a lot of ways to use him in the offense next season, similar to how the Seahawks used Rashid Shaheed last season.

Losing Emmanuel Wilson to the Seahawks-D

Wilson was one of the best reserve backs in football last year. In games when Josh Jacobs was not effective, Wilson stepped up and helped lead the Packers in rushing. One of the biggest examples of this is last November against the Vikings, where he put up 107 yards and two touchdowns. Losing a running back like Wilson made no sense, and there was no reason to let a player of his caliber walk, especially when he only signed for $1.5 million to the Seahawks. It was a cheap contract that the Packers could have easily afforded, and losing such an effective player will be a big blow for the run game next season.

All in all, the Packers free agency has been incredibly rough. They lost far more players than they signed, and they let a lot of key players go. The depth, especially on the offensive line and defense, has thinned, and the Packers will definitely have to make up for that through the draft next month.