Three moves the Packers can still make in free agency

Sign Michael Pierce

The Packers have already made a move at inside linebacker by signing Christian Kirksey. If the plan was to double down at the position in free agency, the opportunity may have now gone. Cory Littleton, Joe Schobert and Nick Kwiatkowski have all reportedly signed elsewhere.

If Brian Gutekunst still wants to add talent at inside linebacker, he might now have to wait until the draft. But that doesn’t mean he can’t continue to strengthen the run defense in free agency. It would make a lot of sense to improve the defensive line, and Michael Pierce would be a great fit in Mike Pettine’s defense.

With the Baltimore Ravens signing Michael Brockers, it seems unlikely Pierce will be back.

At the time of writing, Pro Football Focus has Pierce 14th among the NFL’s remaining free agents, writing that he “has been one of the best run stoppers in the NFL since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2016”.

The Packers were stronger defending the pass than the run in 2019 (No. 14 against the pass, No. 23 against the run), but as we saw in the NFC Championship Game, actually setting up third-and-longs by stopping the ground game was problematic.

Fixing the run defense starts up front, and Pierce could be a home-run signing.