Green Bay Packers 2022 Summer Preview: Inside Linebackers

The Green Bay Packers have experienced a sudden turnaround at their inside linebacker position over the last year.

Heading into the 2021 season, there were plenty of question marks as Green Bay returned Krys Barnes, signed De’Vondre Campbell as a free agent and released Kamal Martin. Then, Campbell had an All-Pro breakout year and the offseason seemed like a distant past.

The Packers re-signed Campbell this year AND used their top draft pick on inside linebacker Quay Walker. That makes for an interesting plot twist after Green Bay appeared to devalue the position for years. With the sudden surge in talent, let’s preview the position.

Here is a position-by-position preview of the Green Bay Packers this summer continuing with their inside linebacker situation.

Currently on Roster: Krys Barnes, Caliph Brice, Ellis Brooks, De’Vondre Campbell, Isaiah McDuffie, Ty Summers, Quay Walker, Ray Wilborn

The Packers have very good players at the top of their depth chart and solid depth throughout–an oddity on this year’s roster. Barnes, who was the starter last year, continues his free fall down the depth chart and will be fighting for his special teams life this season.

Speaking of special teams, Green Bay has a few guys who could make the roster based on those talents alone. Isaiah McDuffie, Ty Summers and Ray Wilborn are all guys to watch in that category–they won’t have an impact on defense (unless something goes terribly wrong) but will have a chance to put their fingerprints on the special teams unit.

Projected Depth Chart: 1. De’Vondre Campbell 2. Quay Walker 3. Krys Barnes 4. Isaiah McDuffie

Ultimately, Green Bay has a few important decisions to make at this position. If they keep six defensive linemen and outside linebackers like I predicted, then there is probably only room for four inside backers on their roster. However, if they only go with five guys at one of the other positions, there should be enough room for five here as well.

Campbell, Walker, and Barnes are locked into their positions and there’s no debate there. There will be a major competition between McDuffie, Summers and Wilborn for that final one to two spots.

Big Picture:

The Packers added even more athleticism to the position with the addition of Walker, giving them two guys who can run sideline to sideline and potentially match up with running backs and tight ends in the passing game. We’ll see how they use the personnel, as they didn’t feature two inside linebackers a whole lot in 2021. Will that change with Walker?