Why No Packers on Lists of Top NFL Free Agents?

The Green Bay Packers don't have any marquee free agents they must re-sign this offseason.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – ESPN and Pro Football Focus released their lists of the top 50 players scheduled to hit free agency this offseason. No members of the Green Bay Packers made those lists.

A high percentage of the upcoming free agents are members of the 2019 draft class. While first-round picks are eligible for a fifth-year option, the rest of the players selected in that draft played under expiring contracts this past season.

For Green Bay, general manager Brian Gutekunst signed second-round pick Elgton Jenkins to an extension. That locked up a player who might have been a top-10 on those free-agent lists. While Gutekunst hit a home run with Jenkins, the rest of the draft was a bust.

None of the other five picks – third-round tight end Jace Sternberger, fifth-round defensive tackle Kingsley Keke, sixth-round cornerback Ka’dar Hollman, sixth-round running back Dexter Williams and seventh-round linebacker Ty Summers – were even on the roster in 2022. In fact, only Williams spent time with Green Bay during training camp last summer.

If you’re looking for a silver lining, that means the Packers won’t have to create oodles of salary-cap space to re-sign those players. With the NFL having set the 2023 salary cap at $224.8 million, the Packers will need to create about $20.4 million just to get even, let alone re-sign a free agent or add to the roster.

The Packers finished just 8-9 last season, a sign of how quickly things can change after they won 13 games each of the previous three seasons. Things can change just as quickly. The Philadelphia Eagles, who will represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, have seven players on ESPN’s top-50 list and six players on PFF’s top-50 list. They are tight against the 2023 cap, meaning they could come back to the pack.

They might not be stars, but the Packers do have some quality players set to hit free agency. Here’s the list.

Packers 2023 Unrestricted Free Agents

Here is the full list of Green Bay’s 14 unrestricted free agents. Seven players logged at least 40 percent playing time on offense and defense. Plus, there are a handful of the team’s best players on special teams. The free agency negotiating window opens on March 13, with the signing period starting on March 15.

Receivers: Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb

Lazard: 78.9 percent playing time. Thrust into a bigger role following the offseason trade of Davante Adams, Lazard led the team with 60 receptions for 788 yards and was second with six receiving touchdowns in 15 games. There weren’t many explosive runs that didn’t include No. 13 doing the dirty work.

Cobb: 33.9 percent playing time. In 13 games, he finished sixth on the team with 34 receptions, which he turned into 417 yards and one touchdown. Cobb caught 70.8 percent of targeted throws and averaged 5.6 yards after the catch, about on par with his career marks. During the final six games, Cobb caught 10 passes for 87 yards.

Tight ends: Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis

Tonyan: 54.0 percent playing time. Coming off a torn ACL, Tonyan among tight ends was No. 1 in catch percentage (84.1) and drop percentage (one; 1.9 percent). His hands are nothing short of impeccable. However, with two touchdowns and two interceptions, the resulting passer rating was only 95.1.

Lewis: 41.2 percent playing time. A leader and superior blocker, Lewis started all 17 games for the second consecutive year. However, the 38-year-old was a far more one-dimensional player. In 2022, he caught 6-of-7 passes for 66 yards, with touchdowns vs. the Giants and Dolphins. In 2021, he caught 23-of-28 passes for 214 yards.

Defensive line: Dean Lowry, Jarran Reed

Reed: 68.2 percent playing time. A low-budget, high-payoff addition, Reed tallied 52 tackles, including 2.5 sacks and five for losses. His 14 quarterback hits were second on the team and second-most for his career. His strip and recovery at Miami might have saved the season.

Lowry: 46.7 percent playing time. Lowry had 43 tackles in 15 games, one more than last season and just four off his career high. The impact plays were lacking – a half-sack, one tackle for loss and five quarterback hits in 2022 compared to five sacks, five tackles for losses and nine quarterback hits in 2021.

Outside linebacker: Justin Hollins

Hollins: 12.4 percent playing time. Claimed off waivers in November, Hollins had nine tackles, 2.5 sacks, three tackles for losses and four quarterback hits in just six games. By PFF’s count, he had six pressures in 10 games with the Rams but nine in six games for Green Bay.

Inside linebacker: Eric Wilson

Wilson: 3.4 percent playing time; 46.0 percent on special teams. A former productive starter with the Vikings, Wilson was claimed off waivers on Oct. 4 and was one of the stalwarts on special teams with 13 tackles in 13 games – tied with Isaiah McDuffie for tops on the team.

Cornerbacks: Keisean Nixon, Corey Ballentine

Nixon: 28.0 percent playing time; 54.0 percent on special teams. Nixon helped on defense but changed the season as a returner. En route to earning first-team All-Pro honors, he led the NFL with a 28.8-yard average on kickoff returns. His five returns of 50-plus yards led the NFL, including a 93-yarder vs. Miami in Week 16 and a 105-yard touchdown vs. Minnesota in Week 17.

Ballentine: 1.6 percent playing time; 24.8 percent on special teams. A sixth-round pick by the Giants in 2019, Ballentine was signed to the practice squad in late September and promoted to the active roster when Eric Stokes was placed on injured reserve in November. He was in on four tackles and forced a fumble.

Safeties: Adrian Amos, Rudy Ford, Dallin Leavitt

Amos: 94.6 percent playing time. “Smash” started all 66 games in a Packers uniform. After three consecutive seasons of two interceptions, he had one in 2022 but set career highs with 102 tackles and six tackles for losses. Focusing only on defense, he was second on the team with 97 tackles. His five passes defensed were his fewest since 2017.

Ford: 46.7 percent playing time; 25.2 percent on special teams. The Jaguars released Ford at the end of training camp and the Packers were thrilled to get him. In five NFL seasons, he started six games on defense and had one interception. In 17 games for the Packers, he started six games and intercepted three passes.

Leavitt: 0.0 percent playing time on defense; 72.0 percent on special teams. A leader for special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia, only tight end Tyler Davis played more snaps on the kicking units than Leavitt. He tied linebackers Isaiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson with a team-leading 13 tackles on the coverage units.

Kicker: Mason Crosby

33.2 percent playing time on special teams. After missing training camp following knee surgery, Crosby was 25-of-29 on field goals, his 86.2 percent success rate ranked 15th among kickers with more than 10 attempts. He was worst in the NFL on kickoffs and touchback percentage.