Updated Packers Free Agency Report Card After Re-Signing Kristian Welch

From the signings of Aaron Banks and Nate Hobbs to the re-signing of Brandon McManus to the departures of Eric Wilson and Josh Myers, here is our report card of every Packers transaction in free agency.

Green Bay Packers linebacker Kristian Welch (54) runs off the field after the game against the Minnesota Vikings. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – In NFL free agency, the Green Bay Packers signed three players and re-signed two others but let seven players sign with different teams.

Here is our report card of each transaction.

Who’s In?

LB Kristian Welch

Linebacker Kristian Welch, who grew up not too far from Lambeau Field, re-signed with the Packers after playing for his favorite team in 2023.

Welch essentially will fill the special-teams void created when Eric Wilson returned to the Vikings in free agency. Wilson’s one-year deal is worth $2.6 million. Presumably, Welch’s deal will be at or near the league minimum of $1.17 million.

Welch entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Ravens in 2020. In five seasons, almost all his action has come on special teams. However, he had a spectacular preseason with the Packers last summer, when he led the team with 16 tackles and the entire NFL with two interceptions. It wasn’t enough, though, as he failed to make the 53-man roster and wound up splitting his 2024 between the Broncos and Ravens.

“I think he’s done a lot of good things,” coach Matt LaFleur said during camp. “Another guy that’s a veteran and has made his role on special teams, but I think he’s shown a lot of good ability as a linebacker, as well. Certainly, has made some splash plays.”

Welch might not be as good of a linebacker as Wilson, but he’s a darned good player on special teams at about half the price.

Beyond the price, the Packers had only four linebackers under contract. Now they have five. They’ll need to add more before they hit the field for OTAs but Quay Walker, Edgerrin Cooper, Isaiah McDuffie, Ty’Ron Hopper and Welch would be a solid five-man group for Week 1.

Grade: B.

WR Mecole Hardman

A second-round pick by the Chiefs in 2019, Mecole Hardman was a second-team All-Pro as a rookie returner. Through three seasons, he caught 126 passes for 1,791 yards (14.2 average) and 12 touchdowns.

After missing half of 2022 due to injury, Hardman signed with the Jets in 2023. He played in just five games in New York before being shipped back to Kansas City. In 23 games with the Jets and Chiefs the last two seasons, Hardman caught 27 passes for 214 yards (7.9 average) and zero touchdowns.

Hardman was effective on jet sweeps with the Chiefs (7.3 average, three touchdowns). Packers coach Matt LaFleur likes the receiver run game, as well. Hardman has big-time speed, is a reliable returner and is just 27.

Really, it’s a low-risk, high-reward signing, with Hardman getting a $150,000 signing bonus along with a minimum base salary of $1.17 million. So, if Hardman doesn’t pan out, the Packers can move on at the end of camp and be out only the $150,000.

Grade: C.

G Aaron Banks

For the low, low price of $77 million over four years – that’s $10 million more than the Packers gave safety Xavier McKinney – new starting left guard Aaron Banks arrives in Green Bay having started 43 games the past three seasons with the 49ers.

It will be interesting to monitor the next few seasons of Banks, whose contract with Green Bay averages $19.25 million per season, and center Drew Dalman, whose three-year deal with the Bears averages $14.0 million. Would the Packers have been better off making a one-for-one swap of Dalman for Josh Myers? Or did they do the right thing by signing Banks and shifting Elgton Jenkins to center?

Banks ranks sixth among NFL guards in average salary. Banks is nowhere close to being the sixth-best guard in the NFL. The Packers are betting that he’ll trend that direction.

Grade: D-plus.

CB Nate Hobbs

There’s no doubt Nate Hobbs is a good player and will be an asset in Green Bay’s secondary when he’s on the field. The question is whether Hobbs will be on the field enough to be a consistent asset.

After playing in 16 of a possible 17 games with nine starts as a rookie with the Raiders, Hobbs the last three seasons played in 35 of a possible 51 games with 29 starts. Last year, he played less than half of the defensive snaps.

As the big-money replacement for Jaire Alexander, did the Packers swap out one injury-plagued player for another?

According to Sports Info Solutions, Hobbs last season allowed a catch rate of 42.0 percent. Among corners who started at least seven games, that was fifth-best in the league. However, he has three interceptions for his career and never reached 10 passes defensed in a season. He’s aggressive in run support but has not been a good tackler.

Hobbs’ $12 million average ranks 21st among cornerbacks. As is the case with Banks, the Packers are betting on Hobbs staying healthy and trending toward being a top-20 cornerback.

Grade: A.

Who’s Still Here?

K Brandon McManus

After 25 games of wayward kicking with Anders Carlson in 2023 and Brayden Narveson to start 2024, it was Brandon McManus to the rescue. He went 20-of-21 on field goals during the regular season, finishing second in the NFL and second in franchise history with 95.2 percent accuracy.

McManus re-signed with a three-year contract worth $15.3 million. His $5.1 million annual salary ranks 10th in the NFL. That will be money well-spent if McManus delivers another season of clutch kicks.

Grade: A.

LB Isaiah McDuffie

Before the start of free agency, the Packers re-signed Isaiah McDuffie on a two-year deal worth $8 million. A sixth-round pick in 2021, McDuffie in 2024 started all 17 games and fell just short of 100 tackles. He’s at his best in the run game; SportRadar charged him with five touchdown passes allowed.

McDuffie will turn 26 just before the start of training camp, so the presumption is he hasn’t hit his ceiling. Perhaps age is why the Packers opted to re-sign McDuffie instead of Wilson. Regardless of the reasoning, McDuffie will be an asset as the No. 3 linebacker behind every-down players Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper.

Grade: C-plus.

Who’s Out?

C Josh Myers

The first center drafted in 2021 – he was taken one spot ahead of Chiefs All-Pro Creed Humphrey – Josh Myers had to settle for a one-year contract from the Jets worth a fully guaranteed $2 million.

Myers played some good ball during his four seasons and fought through a list of injuries in 2024. Clearly, the Packers could do better at center, which is why they signed Aaron Banks and will move Elgton Jenkins to center. For what it’s worth, here’s a comparison between Myers and Banks from Sports Info Solutions:

Blown-block rate (run): Myers; 2.2 percent; Banks, 2.8 percent. Median: 2.0 percent.

Blown-block rate (pass): Myers, 1.5 percent; Banks, 3.6 percent. Median: 2.9 percent.

Sacks allowed: Myers, 0 (0.0 percent); Banks, 1 (0.2 percent).

Stuffs allowed: Myers, 3 (0.7 percent); Banks, 1 (0.4 percent). A stuff is a tackle at or behind the line of scrimmage on a run play.

Penalties: Myers, 3 (one for holding); Banks, 4 (two for holding).

Will the line be better with Banks at left guard and Jenkins at center than it was with Jenkins at left guard and Myers at center? Probably. Will it be tens of millions of dollars better?

Grade to not re-sign: B.

DT TJ Slaton

A fifth-round pick in 2021, TJ Slaton might not have been a great player but he was a reliable contributor. What more could you ask for from the 173rd pick of the draft?

After starting all 17 games each of the last two seasons (and playing in all 68 in four seasons), the Packers will have to replace his role as the space-eating, run-stopping big guy in the middle of the defense. That’s a big deal for the Packers, who finally had a top-10 run defense.

The Bengals gave Slaton a two-year deal worth $14.1 million. In a strong draft class of defensive tackles, you can understand why the Packers didn’t try harder to re-sign him.

Grade to not re-sign: B.

LB Eric Wilson

The Packers grabbed Eric Wilson off the Saints’ practice squad in 2022. It was one of those quietly good roster moves that the top teams make.

In 13 games in 2022, he tied for the team lead with 13 tackles on special teams. In 2023, he led the team with 11 tackles on special teams. In 2024, more was needed of Wilson. And he delivered. In 17 games that included 12 starts, Wilson finished seventh on the team with 63 tackles and sixth with seven tackles for losses on defense and was second with nine tackles on special teams.

With last year’s third-round pick, Ty’Ron Hopper, waiting in the wings, it’s easy to see why the Packers opted to keep McDuffie or Wilson rather than McDuffie and Wilson.

Wilson, who will turn 31 early in the season, returned to the Vikings, where he started his career. Terms still have not been reported.

Grade to not re-sign: C.

CB Eric Stokes

A first-round pick in 2021, Eric Stokes looked like a potential star. According to Sports Info Solutions, he allowed a completion rate of 46.2 percent. Among corners with at least 10 starts, that was sixth-best in the NFL.

Imagine a combo of Stokes and Jaire Alexander for the next several years. Instead, Stokes’ performance fell off a cliff in 2022 even before he suffered a Lisfranc foot injury in a midseason game at Detroit. He missed the rest of that season with the foot injury and most of 2023 with hamstring injuries.

He stayed healthy in 2024 but didn’t return to form. In 17 games that included seven starts, he allowed an excellent 53.3 percent completion rate but didn’t break up a pass. With Stokes signing with the Raiders in free agency, he left Green Bay without breaking up a single pass over his final three seasons.

Grade to not re-sign: A.

CB Corey Ballentine

Corey Ballentine spent the last three seasons in Green Bay. The Packers wouldn’t have made it to the playoffs without him in 2023, when he started six games – his first starts since 2020 – gave up a 50.0 percent catch rate and broke up seven passes during a zero-to-hero season. He started one game in 2024 but most of his playing time came on special teams, where he had four tackles and one forced fumble.

Ballentine signed a one-year contract worth about $1.34 million with the Colts, including $488,500 guaranteed. That’s a lot of guaranteed money for a role player.

Grade to not re-sign: B-minus.

CB Robert Rochell

A fourth-round pick in 2021, Robert Rochell was part of the Rams’ Super Bowl championship team. He spent his last two seasons with the Packers. In 20 games, he played one snap on defense and 233 on special teams, where he contributed six tackles. He’ll get another shot with the Chiefs.

Grade to not re-sign: A-minus.

RB AJ Dillon

AJ Dillon, a second-round pick in 2020, was the thunder to Aaron Jones’ lightning in 2021, 2022 and 2023 but missed the end of the 2023 season with a stinger. When he suffered another one during training camp in 2024, the Packers opted to place him on injured reserve for the season.

For all the muscle and brawn, “Quadzilla” saw his missed-tackle rate go from 26.1 percent in limited action as a rookie to 12.8 percent in 2021, 8.1 percent in 2022 and 6.7 percent in 2023. That 6.7 percent was third-worst among backs with 100-plus carries.

Dillon got a minimum $1.17 million contract with the Eagles and a $167,500 signing bonus.

Grade to not re-sign: A.

Who’s In Limbo?

TE Tyler Davis

Tyler Davis missed 2023 with a torn ACL and 2024 with a shoulder injury. Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia lost Eric Wilson, Corey Ballentine and Robert Rochell from his units this offseason. Will he lose Davis, too?

OT Andre Dillard

Andre Dillard was the Eagles’ first-round pick in 2019. He was a disappointment in Philly, then a bust as a free-agent signing with Tennessee in 2023. The Packers gave him a one-year contract worth a league-minimum $1.125 million in 2024. He made the team but didn’t play any meaningful snaps on offense because of Rasheed Walker’s durability. He was inactive for the playoff loss to the Eagles, when calamity struck the line.