Green Bay Packers: 3 XFL Free Agents to Target
By Kenny Jilek
NFL teams can now sign XFL players to contracts and the Green Bay Packers could look to a few of these free agents to bolster their roster depth for cheap.
Everyone knows that the Green Bay Packers have some holes in their roster. There are not many NFL teams at this point in the offseason that don’t. There are a few options for filling those holes like the draft or signing big-name free agents. However, a new way to add some great depth could be from XFL standouts.
XFL players are now out on the open market after their season was cut short. Obviously, most of these players aren’t game-changers or they would have been in the NFL already. Although they may not be Pro Bowl talent, they will come on contracts that are cheap by NFL standards, but at a level that they could never get from the XFL. Finding the guys with the right tools and play styles to fit this team and carve out a niche in this league is the key.
The Packers already got their likely starting linebacker and Blake Martinez replacement in Christian Kirksey, but they are still looking for someone to fill that spot next to him. This spot was filled last year by natural strong safeties that play up in the box like Raven Greene and Ibraheim Campbell. Greene was out for almost the entire season with an injury and Campbell is currently a free agent so that is one area that could need filling.
They also desperately need to get Kenny Clark some help inside. Tyler Lancaster and Dean Lowry just did not do enough last year to ease the minds of the Packers’ front office and they will have to add someone at some point this offseason.
Finally, they need someone to catch the ball from Aaron Rodgers. They will, no doubt, get a receiver or two in the draft, but you can never have too much depth. Someone to catch the ball could come from the tight end position or someone to play out wide.
So with three big needs to fill and very little cap space left, why not take a flyer on some guys that had big success and became stars in the XFL? I’ve gathered up three guys, one to fit each of these gaps, that I believe could contribute something to the Green Bay Packers next season.