Green Bay Packers: 3 Cost Effective Free Agent IDLs Still Worth Targeting
By Paul Bretl
After the draft was over, Green Bay Packers GM Brian Gutekunst told us that the team would be looking into both the linebacker and quarterback positions. Since then, Green Bay has signed three quarterbacks and linebacker De’Vondre Campbell.
Although in that conversation with reporters, Gutey never mentioned the interior defensive line position, I still believe that there is tremendous value in adding to that room and do think that’s still a possibility.
We all know how good Kenny Clark is, and I do believe that Kingsley Keke is poised for another big step forward. However, it wouldn’t hurt to bolster their depth by adding another rotational player to the mix.
Dean Lowry is fine, TJ Slaton is a fifth-round rookie, so expectations should be tempered, and Tyler Lancaster is a replacement-level player. I’ll also reiterate what I just said; any potential addition would be part of the rotation to help reduce the snap counts of Lowry, Slaton, and Lancaster, which in turn, could make them more effective.
As always, when discussing any sort of addition, we have to address the salary cap—especially for the Green Bay Packers, who are cap-strapped at the moment. According to Over the Cap, the team has $5.08 million in available cap space, not a ton, but it’s not like any of the players I’m suggesting are going to break the bank either. They are likely veteran minimum players, or perhaps slightly above.
The Packers also still have ways to create cap space, whether that be a Davante Adams extension or cutting players like Josh Jackson or Oren Burks, which would save them a few million dollars. We always need to be mindful of the salary cap, but in this situation, I don’t see it being a deterrent.
Will the Green Bay Packers still address the interior defensive line? We will have to wait and see, but I certainly think they should. We saw in the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl how a strong pass-rush can affect a game, and while having Clark certainly helps, this is still an upgradable position.
So with all of that said, here is a look at three free agents that should still be on the Green Bay Packers radar.
Damon “Snacks” Harrison
The Green Bay Packers signed Damon “Snacks” Harrison late last season, and he saw the field for only 30 total defensive snaps during Week 17 and the playoffs. No, this isn’t the same Snacks Harrison, who was arguably the top run-stopper in football for several seasons, but that doesn’t mean he can’t carve out a role.
From 2014 to 2018, Harrison ranked first by PFF’s run-stop percentage metric, which measures the rate at which a player makes a play against the run that constitutes a loss for the offense. Even as recently as 2019, he ranked 11th among all interior defensive linemen in that category.
We didn’t get the opportunity to see much of Harrison in the playoffs, but perhaps over the course of the season, we will see some of that previous form in a limited role. The other benefit of adding Snacks is that it could mean fewer snaps for Clark at the nose and the opportunity for him to make more impact plays at the 4-tech.