The Green Bay Packers are undergoing an identity shift in the wake of Jonathan Gannon's hiring as Jeff Hafley's defensive coordinator replacement. On the field, this transition will likely need some veterans to keep the peace, and there will be plenty of opportunities to add more leaders to the mix when free agency opens in March.
Per the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, several players from practice squads of playoff teams are already available as free agents. A name that fans will perk Packer fans' ears up is undoubtedly four-time Pro-Bowl EDGE rusher Matthew Judon.
Matthew Judon Must Be on Packers' Offseason Radar
Although some folks would like to see the New England Patriots reunite with the disruptor, head coach Mike Vrabel may not be looking to bring someone back who was seemingly unpopular behind the scenes in Foxborough. There are some wounds there.
In Green Bay, though, Judon would get a fresh start. After several short-term stints with the Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins produced little, and his practice squad stint with the Buffalo Bills over the last month produced even less, Judon could be hungry to prove he still belongs in the league.
His career has been proving that he belongs after five years at Grand Valley State. What's one more victory over the odds? And with an elite set of teammates under a coordinator who once thrived with the Philadelphia Eagles? Even better.
It turns out that having one of the youngest defenses sounds a lot better on paper than it is in reality. The Packers found that out the hard way during the postseason, when the team gave up 25 points in the fourth quarter in one of the all-time postseason collapses in NFL history against the Chicago Bears.
Although the secondary played a big role in that downfall, adding a reliable pass rusher like Judon to Gannon's unit could help make everyone's life easier. The former 2016 fifth-rounder has amassed 72.0 sacks, 20 broken-up passes, nine forced fumbles, and 285 solo tackles in 145 regular-season contests, showing how he can help in every defensive phase.
That's without even bringing up his five playoff appearances, or the fact that the 11.5 sacks he has against NFC North teams are the third-most he has against any division, trailing only the AFC East (14.0) and AFC South (12.0).
With the Packers likely using the draft to help their secondary, that could leave the linebacker room ripe to be addressed with fringe signings like Judon.
At the right price, and possibly needing to go the practice squad/training camp route before landing a solidified role, Judon could make a ton of sense for a Green Bay team that has its building blocks, but needs the complementary veteran pieces to facilitate deep playoff runs.