It hasn’t always been pretty, but the Green Bay Packers have firmly established themselves as contenders, both in 2024 and beyond.
Thanks to their dominant win over the Miami Dolphins on Thanksgiving night, the Packers are now 9-3. However, they are also stuck in third place in the toughest division in the league, and their performance on defense leaves a lot to be desired.
If the Packers want to usurp the Detroit Lions atop the NFC North in the coming seasons, they’ll need to do a much better job on the defensive interior. Addressing this free agency weakness will be key to their spring, and there’s a name that just might fit.
On Monday, Matt Holder of Bleacher Report predicted that New England Patriots defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale sign with the Packers to strengthen their defense against the struggling run.
“Defensive tackle has been a sore spot in Green Bay in 2024, and (TJ Slaton) is an impending free agent, so the defense will need to add some beef in the middle to fill in the gaps against the run,” Holder said. said.
“Ekuale, 6’3” and 310 pounds, could help solve that problem as he put together a solid campaign in that department this season. PFF credited the 30-year-old, who turns 31 in January, with 19 defensive stops in Week 12.”
The 2024 season is Ekuale’s sixth in the NFL, but it was by far his most productive. He’s starting for the first time in his career and he totaled 40 tackles in Week 12, more than double any other season in his career.
Even though Ekuale has looked excellent, he is not expected to get a significant raise on the two-year, $3.4 million contract he signed with New England. Luring him to Green Bay is mostly about convincing him he can play for championships, and given the Patriots’ struggles, that shouldn’t be too difficult.
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