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Green Bay Packers Bringing in LB Christian Kirksey for a Visit

By Paul Bretl

CLEVELAND, OHIO - AUGUST 08: Outside linebacker Christian Kirksey #58 of the Cleveland Browns during the first half of a preseason game against the Washington Redskins at FirstEnergy Stadium on August 08, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - AUGUST 08: Outside linebacker Christian Kirksey #58 of the Cleveland Browns during the first half of a preseason game against the Washington Redskins at FirstEnergy Stadium on August 08, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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The Green Bay Packers are in need of a linebacker and it was just reported that free agent, Christian Kirksey, will be visiting the team.

Blake Martinez will be heading elsewhere this offseason once the free agency period begins and despite some of his shortcomings, his departure leaves a huge hole to fill at inside linebacker. You know it, I know, everybody knows it.

So during the NFL Combine a few weeks ago, we heard rumblings that the Green Bay Packers would be looking into top free agents Joe Schobert, Cory Littleton, and Nick Kwiatkoski. And just recently I floated the idea of looking into De’Vondre Campbell of the Atlanta Falcons as an under the radar option.

However, it was just reported that Green Bay’s first meeting with an inside linebacker will be with the recently released, Christian Kirksey, who is making his rounds to various NFL teams.

Since being drafted by Cleveland in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft, Kirksey has spent his entire career there and has found some success as well.

His best seasons came in 2016 and 2017 where he would start all 32 games and total 286 tackles, 17 of which were for a loss, along with six sacks, 13 quarterback hits, eight pass breakups, and two forced fumbles.

Unfortunately for Kirksey, the last two seasons have been riddled with injuries and he’s appeared in only nine games during that span.

However, at 27 years old, Kirksey should still have some prime years left in him as long as he can stay on the field and when healthy, he has shown that he can be one of the more reliable tacklers in the NFL.

Not to mention that he would be a great fit in the Packers’ locker room as a former team captain and leader in Cleveland. And oh yeah, his head coach during his first two NFL seasons was, in fact, Mike Pettine.

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Coming off of back-to-back seasons where he’s dealt with injuries, Kirksey could provide the Green Bay Packers with a linebacker that has a proven track record and at a price tag that won’t break the bank. Which is something to be mindful of as Green Bay doesn’t have the same spending power that they did a year ago.

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