The Green Bay Packers have been consistently working with undrafted free agent signing Nazir Stackhouse throughout the 2025 season. While the rookie had been limited in snaps before Week 18, there was promising size that the rookie defender could soon factor into the bottom of the defensive line rotation. This was furthered in Week 18 when the Packers pulled the majority of their starting players, as their playoff positioning wouldn't be changed with a win or loss; either way, the Packers were locked into the NFC's 7th seed.
It allowed Stackhouse the chance to play 45 defensive snaps, which were by far the most of his rookie season. The second-highest total came in Week 4 when Stackhouse was on the field for 27 defensive plays. The defender showed enough improvement to catch the attention of head coach Matt LaFleur, as The Leap's Jason B. Hirschhorn reported the comments.
""It's a competition between all those guys of trying to get reps on Saturday night. I thought he did a lot of great things, just playing with good pad level, using his hands, staying square in the run game.""Matt LaFleur
This is high praise considering that Stackhouse hadn't played any defensive snaps since Week 13, when he managed to be on the field for five defensive plays. Now, it is fair to wonder based on this praise and Stackhouse's improved performance if the Packers might turn to the tackle as a bottom-of-the-rotation option in the 2025 playoffs.
Overlooked Packers Prospect Catches the Attention of HC Matt LaFleur After Week 18
Stackhouse had two tackles against the Minnesota Vikings and jumped off the screen more than once for his work on the interior. The size of the lineman offered a clear advantage to help plug up the run and break the integrity of the pocket. While Stackhouse is far from a finished product, the final week of the season took the defender from a borderline roster piece to a clear rotational option heading into the 2026 season.
The real question is whether or not LaFleur has enough trust in Stackhouse to offer the rookie snaps in a road playoff game against the Chicago Bears. Considering that Chicago averaged the third-highest rushing total in the league and the highest in the NFC at 144.2 yards per game, it makes sense to work in Stackhouse. Green Bay's defensive interior will be consistently tested and needs to remain as fresh as possible.
With this in mind, not only has Stackhouse likely cemented his 2026 standing with the team, but there could be an opportunity to make a playoff impact. The stage is unlikely to be too big for the Georgia product, who is used to playing on a big stage. No question, this is great news for a prospect that was off to a slow start, that now appears to be on the upswing.