Monday Cheese Curds: Free agent pickings are already slim for Packers after one week

The market is already drying up, particularly at linebacker, where the Packers have yet to make any notable additions.

Get ready for a lot of Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie this fall.

The Green Bay Packers could do far worse than these two players as their top two linebackers in 2024, but they are the only players with any substantial experience in the team’s linebacker room at present. Considering that position is one that will need a bigger group of bodies in Jeff Hafley’s defense than in the previous 3-4 scheme, it’s at least somewhat concerning that the team has not yet signed an outside free agent at that position — and that special teamer Kristian Welch is the only player who has re-signed.

After the Packers’ big spending spree on the first day or two of free agency, when they brought in two big names and re-signed Keisean Nixon, it has been all quiet on Lombardi Avenue. Maybe the team is just biding its time, waiting for all of the big money to get thrown around and getting ready to pounce in the second wave of free agency.

Then again, maybe the team is done making substantial additions in the market and is turning its attention over to the 2024 NFL Draft. The Packers do have 11 picks this year, including five in the first 91 picks and another six on day three of the draft, so there will be plenty of ammunition to find young players who should be able to contribute in a meaningful way this fall.

But for now, fans are back to waiting and wondering about what the team’s plans are, especially at linebacker. And there’s not all that much left to be excited about on the free agent market.

Josh Jacobs, Xavier McKinney excited to join ‘hungry group’ of Packers | Packers.com
The former Crimson Tide teammates are reuniting in Green Bay, with both players citing the team’s competitiveness and Super Bowl aspirations as major reasons for signing.

What are the Packers’ biggest remaining needs after first week of free agency? – The Athletic ($)
Of course, the Packers still need to bring in some more reinforcements, particularly at linebacker, safety, and along the offensive line.

Packers running low on free agent options at LB position | Packers Wire
Unfortunately, the free agent linebacker market — which was already weak to begin with — is drying up fast. Zach Cunningham is arguably the best player remaining, and although he led the NFL in tackles in 2020, the 30-year-old has bounced around through three teams over the last three years.

With Plenty of Cap Space, Why Did Packers Stop Spending in NFL Free Agency? – Sports Illustrated
So why is it that the Packers haven’t spent much money after their initial flurry last week? One theory is that they plan to bank some cap space for 2025 and beyond to pay for some big contract extensions for their deserving young players.

Bears trading QB Justin Fields to Steelers in exchange for 2025 conditional sixth-round pick | NFL.com
At least the Packers don’t have to worry about the quarterback position like our neighbors to the south. The Bears couldn’t get more than a day-three pick for Fields, and the pick will max out at a 4th-rounder (if he plays more than half of the offensive snaps this season).

Boeing tells airlines to check pilot seats after report that an accidental shift led plane to plunge | AP News
Every headline related to Boeing these days reads like a Mad Lib.