One of the more interesting draft decisions the Green Bay Packers opted to make was bringing in defensive lineman Chris McClellan. The Missouri product offers clear upside on the inside and is a potential replacement for Devonte Wyatt, who is coming off an injury-shortened season and is approaching a contract year. With this in mind, it is fair to question whether the presence of McClellan could push Green Bay to explore a potential trade.
Trading Wyatt would save the franchise $12.9 million in cap space, according to Spotrac, and open up the possibility of making another impact move. This speaks to the hefty cap hit of a player that is yet to string together one complete season. While there were signs of development in the 2025 season, this was ended by an injury that took Wyatt off the field for the remainder of the year.
To put it simply, it is hard to believe McClellan couldn't step into a starting role and provide the same level of production as Wyatt offered. The Green Bay lineman is in his fifth year and remains a question mark ahead of hitting free agency at the end of the 2026 season.
Keeping Wyatt, bolstering your rotation with McClellan and allowing the duo to fight for time is tempting, but there is an argument that a trade is the better avenue. If there is any team willing to take on the expiring contract of Wyatt, the Packers could easily argue it works to their benefit and allows a younger player a chance to replace an often source of frustration.
Packers Could Explore Trading Devonte Wyatt After Adding to Defensive Line in 2026 Draft
McClellan is far from a proven commodity as a third-round pick, but doesn't face lofty expectations in replacing Wyatt. Green Bay should at least explore the market and see if a team is willing to take on the cap hit and what they might offer in return. For the Packers, more important than the return is the opportunity for a young player that it opens and the cap space that would allow for additional depth moves.
Current defensive line free agents D.J. Reader or David Onyemata could easily be signed with the money that dealing Wyatt would free up. The franchise could look to bring in a proven veteran to mentor the rookie and turn the page on Wyatt before the defender walks away for nothing.
It might be outside of Green Bay's typical playbook when it comes to pending free agents, but it makes a great deal of sense and should be explored in the next weeks of the offseason. Wyatt simply hasn't shown enough to be considered untouchable after the addition of McClellan has put his future into question.
More Green Bay Packers News and Rumors:
Add us as a preferred source on Google