6 Packers Unlikely to Return in 2025 After Poor Start to Season

Isaiah McDuffie

If the Packers have a cornerback problem, then their inside linebacker situation is an outright crisis.

Switching from a 3-4 to a 4-3 under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley was supposed to help shore up Green Bay’s defense. Instead, it has only thrown a harsh spotlight on their glaring issues at linebacker, particularly with Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie.

Walker, a first-round pick in 2022, was supposed to be the athletic centerpiece of the Packers' defense. Instead, he’s been a liability, struggling to read plays and frequently out of position. His shortcomings have only magnified the weaknesses of the players around him, and that brings us to McDuffie—a player who shouldn’t be on the field as much as he is.

McDuffie somehow won a starting job alongside Walker in camp, despite the Packers using early draft capital on rookies Edgerrin Cooper and Ty'ron Hopper. However, McDuffie’s grip on that role is slipping. Cooper, in particular, is starting to gain more snaps, and it feels like it’s only a matter of time until McDuffie is relegated to a backup role.

A solid special teams player, McDuffie’s limitations become glaring when he’s asked to play major defensive snaps. He lacks the speed and instincts to be an impact player in the 4-3, and Green Bay needs more from its linebackers—especially with Walker continuing to flounder.

McDuffie is an unrestricted free agent after this season, and while he could land somewhere as a core special teamer, Green Bay has to be looking to upgrade. With promising young players like Cooper and Hopper waiting in the wings, McDuffie’s future with the Packers—and his chances of landing a meaningful contract in free agency—seem dimmer by the week.