The Green Bay Packers are in a precarious position this offseason. They must update the roster while facing a less-than-ideal cap situation.
As of this writing, the Packers project to be significantly over the cap to start the 2026 offseason and, of course, are without a first-round draft pick. Moves to free up space, such as releasing Rashan Gary and Elgton Jenkins, will help. However, they are not going to be in a position to sign premier free agents unless they push cap space into void years and create cap issues in future seasons. But that’s not how Green Bay’s front office typically operates.
Instead, given that they can’t sign premier free agents and have fewer than the usual haul of top-100 draft picks (only two), the Packers are going to be shopping in the free-agency bargain bin. They’ll likely be signing players who were released by their previous teams.
Whether that be related to their current contract and a cap-cutting release or simply because they’re not playing well, these players find themselves on the market and will be ripe for the Packers to sign. Signing players who other teams release doesn’t count against the compensatory pick formula, which is even more reason for Green Bay to be interested in them. Three players in particular caught my eye as possible future Green Bay Packers.
It’s worth noting that none of these players may become available. Maybe their current team doesn’t cut them, or perhaps a restructure is worked out. But if they do, expect Green Bay to show interest.
T.J. Slaton
As much as I wanted to put Kenny Clark on this list, it’s just not realistic. I don’t think Clark will want to come back to the team that traded him away just a year ago, and I also think he will be too expensive. Instead, I think it could be another former Packers defensive tackle who finds his way back.
Entering 2026, Slaton is scheduled to have an $8.9 million cap hit, the sixth-highest on the Cincinnati Bengals’ roster. If they decided to move on after only one season, they would save $6.4 million on the cap. For a historically cheap franchise, they could cut their losses with Slaton and opt for a cheaper replacement via the draft.
Cincinnati’s defense was terrible in 2025, but it wasn’t Slaton’s fault. He started all 17 games for a third season in a row and finished with a career-high 52 tackles, three sacks, and 19 quarterback pressures.
The Bengals might want to use the savings to shore up another part of their porous defense. If they do, the Packers should jump at the opportunity to bring Slaton back. Green Bay’s run defense crumbled at the end of last season, and Slaton is still a very good run defender.
In 2024, his last season in Green Bay, he led all interior defenders in run-stop win rate. Going cheap by trying to shore up the line with rookies Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse didn’t work. Injuries to Devonte Wyatt and midseason pickup Jordon Riley resulted in a revolving door of players, including Quinton Bohanna and Jonathan Ford. So if Slaton does become available, bring the big man home and shore up a clear hole on the roster.
Akeem Davis-Gaither
The possible addition of Davis-Gaither makes a lot of sense on the surface after the Packers hired Jonathan Gannon as the new defensive coordinator. Davis-Gaither played under Gannon in 2025 with the Arizona Cardinals, when Gannon served as head coach.
Last offseason, Davis-Gaither signed with Arizona to help firm up their linebacker unit, replace Kyzir White, who left in free agency, and be Mack Wilson’s right-hand man. He signed a two-year, $11 million contract, and the Cardinals would save just over $5 million in cap space if they cut him.
The fit is obvious if the Packers let Quay Walker leave in free agency. Davis-Gaither is familiar with Gannon’s defense and could help install a new system. He’s coming off a season in which he set a career high with 117 tackles, good for second on the team behind Budda Baker.
Arizona’s defense is coming off a season in which it posted a franchise record in points allowed. With a new regime coming in, they might want to clean house, aside from their top-of-the-line veterans. If so, he could be a good value signing for Green Bay’s new defense.
Sean Murphy-Bunting
Another former Cardinal with ties to Jonathan Gannon, Murphy-Bunting also plays cornerback, a position in which the Packers should invest. The biggest issue with him – and the main reason why he might become available – is injuries. He missed the entire 2025 season with a knee injury after being placed on the non-football injury list back in May. The Cardinals would save $7.24 million if they decided to move on from the former Super Bowl champion.
Green Bay’s primary cornerbacks last year – Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, and Nate Hobbs – struggled in both coverage and forcing turnovers. Murphy-Bunting recorded three interceptions in his last full season (2024), and that would be a nice change of pace for this defense.
While with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the way to their Super Bowl win in 2020, Murphy-Bunting recorded three interceptions during their playoff run. He also became the first player to have an interception in each of his first three career playoff games since Ed Reed.
Adding that type of pedigree and playoff experience could help level the play of the entire cornerback room. With Keisean Nixon and Nate Hobbs cut candidates in their own right, Murphy-Bunting could represent an affordable alternative with some significant upside.
