Packers Free Agents Stay or Go: Dallin Leavitt
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers have 14 players who are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents this offseason, including backup safety Dallin Leavitt.
Going in alphabetical order, our “Stay or Go” series will look at each of those players in advance of the official start of free agency on March 15. Why should the Packers re-sign Leavitt? Why should they let him go? Is there a replacement on the roster? Could they get a compensatory draft pick in exchange?
Packers Should Re-Sign Dallin Leavitt
When the Las Vegas Raiders released Leavitt just before the start of training camp, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst wasted no time. With the Raiders, Leavitt was a standout for Green Bay’s new special teams coordinator, Rich Bisaccia. Leavitt provided talent and know-how to the special teams while serving as a bridge between Bisaccia and the players.
“When you get in the huddle with Aaron Rodgers on offense, I think the hair on the back of your neck stands up and you have to know what you’re doing,” Bisaccia said. “I like to think when you get in the huddle with Dallin Leavitt, the hair on the back of your neck better stand up. You have to know what you’re doing, and he’s been through the process.”
Leavitt wound up second on the team in special-teams snaps and tied for the team lead with 13 special-teams tackles.
Packers Should Let Leavitt Sign Elsewhere
Leavitt was on the bottom of the depth chart on defense. In fact, he didn’t play a single snap on that side of the ball after working at safety and the slot during training camp.
Leavitt’s contract paid him $1.2 million in 2022. By NFL standards, that’s not much. As a fifth-year player, Leavitt will get at least the league minimum of $1.08 million. The Packers could save $330,000 by going with a rookie who perhaps would have more upside on defense.
Who Would Replace Leavitt?
Adrian Amos, Rudy Ford and Leavitt are all scheduled to be free agents, so the safety depth chart is in flux. Other than Darnell Savage, who is coming off a trying fourth season, there’s not much in the way of proven talent.
Rookie seventh-round pick Tariq Carpenter has a lot of potential but was limited mostly to special teams. Innis Gaines, who went undrafted in 2020, started one late-season game. James Wiggins, a seventh-round pick by the Cardinals in 2021 with zero career snaps on defense and 35 on special teams, was signed to a futures deal.
Could the Packers Gain a Compensatory Draft Pick for Leavitt?
Leavitt was really good on special teams for the Packers but it’s impossible to believe he’s going to get a contract big enough to warrant compensation.
The Verdict on Dallin Leavitt
Leavitt was a vital addition to help Bisaccia lay the foundation on special teams. That foundation has been laid. Every little bit’s going to help on Green Bay’s salary cap.
On the other hand, the Packers had ignored their special teams for years and years. Were Ron Zook, Shawn Slocum, Maurice Drayton and so on bad coaches? Or were they hamstrung by inferior talent? The answer is probably a bit of both. Was Bisaccia an upgrade at coordinator or was he given better talent? Again, the answer is probably a little bit of both.
Having seen what experienced, talented players can do for a special teams, you’d think Gutekunst wouldn’t go cheap.
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