Green Bay Packers Made a Run at DL Dalvin Tomlinson at Trade Deadline
By Paul Bretl
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that at the trade deadline, the Green Bay Packers also attempted to trade for DL Dalvin Tomlinson of the New York Giants.
The NFL trade deadline came and went last Tuesday without the Green Bay Packers making a move. Overall it was a quiet day around the league, but the Packers’ pursuit of Houston Texans’ wide receiver Will Fuller dominated the conversation.
Ultimately the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement, but it turns out that Fuller wasn’t the only player that Green Bay was intently calling on. Sunday morning, it was reported by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network that the Packers also attempted to trade for New York Giants’ defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson.
#Packers made a run at #Texans WR Will Fuller this week, but that wasn’t the only standout they offered a mid-round pick for. Source said they attempted to trade for #Giants DT Dalvin Tomlinson, tho NYG resisted dealing the captain even though he’s in the final year of his deal.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 8, 2020
Unfortunately, this is another deal that didn’t work out for Green Bay, but Tomlinson would have been a great addition to this struggling Packers’ run defense. A former second-round pick out of Alabama, Tomlinson is in the final year of his deal with New York. And between the Giants not contending anytime soon along with them already having Leonard Williams on the defensive front as well, this was certainly a call worth making by GM Brian Gutekunst because Tomlinson very well could have been expendable.
On top of that, Tomlinson has a base salary of only $1.08 million this season – which would have been pro-rated – so his contract would have been affordable for the cash strapped Packers.
Over his career, in terms of pressuring the quarterback, Tomlinson’s numbers don’t leap off the page; that just isn’t what he’s been asked to do. However, at 6’3″ – 317 pounds, he has been very good against the run. Which, of course, is where the Packers need the most help.
Tomlinson’s 18 run stops are the most in the NFL this season. And for those wondering, a ‘run stop’ is a Pro Football Focus ($) metric and is defined as a run play that constitutes a “loss” for the offense. Meanwhile, his run-stop percentage of 10.4 is the ninth-best rate among interior defensive linemen who have played at least 85 defensive snaps this season.
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From a money standpoint as well as what Tomlinson could have provided this defensive front, this is a move that would have made a lot of sense for the Green Bay Packers–even more so than Will Fuller. But it’s a moot point now. For the remainder of the year, it will be up to the current players on the roster to improve upon the 4.66 yards per carry that they are allowing.