Getty Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.
The Green Bay Packers are not often active at the NFL trade deadline, but they could have an opportunity to offload one of their least productive veteran free agent signings from the 2024 offseason — if the right team comes calling.
CBS Sports analyst Cody Benjamin recently picked out one deal he believes each NFL team “should make” before November 5’s trade deadline and suggested a trade for the Cleveland Browns that would allow the Packers to recoup value on offensive tackle Andre Dillard — a 2024 free agent signing who has yet to play a single offensive snap.
“The Browns aren’t really in a position to be buying this year, but if they’re going to add anywhere, it’d better be up front, where Deshaun Watson has been bombarded with pressure all fall,” Benjamin wrote in his October 8 article.
Benjamin isn’t overselling the problems in the offensive trenches for the Browns. Their offensive line has allowed Watson to be sacked an NFL-leading 26 times through the first five games of the season. Four of Cleveland’s offensive linemen are also currently missing time with injuries, including tackles James Hudson III and Hakeem Adeniji.
While the Packers might prefer to keep their offensive line depth intact, the right offer from the Browns could persuade them to part ways with a backup who isn’t playing.
Andre Dillard Has Yet to Play on Offense for Packers
Dillard is in an odd place in his NFL career. Just 19 months ago, he had signed a three-year, $29 million contract with the Tennessee Titans to become their new left tackle for the 2023 season, but he crashed and burned when put to the test, allowing 12 sacks — tied for the most in the NFL — and forcing the Titans to cut ties after just one year.
In an attempt to salvage his career, Dillard then signed a one-year, veteran-minimum deal with the Packers in March, but he couldn’t successfully push third-year Rasheed Walker or second-year Zach Tom out of their starting tackle positions during training camp and wound up starting the season on the bench, where he remains in Week 6.
According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, the Packers also exited camp “feeling internally” that they did not have their No. 3 tackle on their roster, an indictment of how they felt Dillard performed during his first offseason with the team. Through the first five weeks of the season, too, Dillard has not played a single offensive snap for the Packers.
Now, in fairness to Dillard, the Packers have not yet needed one of their tackles to come off the bench for them. Walker and Tom have played all 335 offensive snaps through the first five games and given the Packers zero reasons to doubt their viability in the roles. Dillard also seems to be the Packers’ first-choice swing tackle in the rotation considering he has been active more often than Kadeem Telfort or Travis Glover.
If the Packers believe Telfort and Glover can offer them enough as backups, though, they could be amenable to trade overtures about Dillard in the coming weeks.
Who Else Could Packers Move at NFL Trade Deadline?
The Packers wouldn’t surprise anyone if they stood pat at the NFL trade deadline. In six previous seasons as general manager, Gutekunst has not once made a move to acquire a player before the deadline. After last year’s surprise trade of cornerback Rasul Douglas, though, it is worth evaluating which players they could potentially consider trading.
Preston Smith would make the most sense. The veteran pass rusher was one of the first big-name free agent signings Gutekunst made in 2019 and recorded at least eight sacks in four of his first five seasons with the Packers. Smith also has the second-most sacks (2.5) for the Packers through the first five games of 2024, illustrating his value.
The Packers have the depth to consider moving on from Smith if they receive a strong enough offer for him before the deadline, though — as they did with Douglas in 2023. Lukas Van Ness, a 2023 first-round pick, appears ready for more responsibility, while Kingsley Enagbare and Brenton Cox Jr. can help round out the group on the edges.
Otherwise, the Packers lack sensible trade chips. They have 2021 first-round cornerback Eric Stokes in the final year of his contract, but moving him would mean weakening a positional group that has already dealt with injuries to Jaire Alexander and Carrington Valentine through the first five weeks of the season. Doubtful the Packers consider it.
All things considered, the Packers will likely return to the trade-less status quo in 2024.
Jordan J. Wilson is a sports reporter who covers the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. He has previously covered all levels of sports — high school, college and pro — for a variety of publications including The Indianapolis Star, The News-Gazette, Springfield State-Journal Register and Peoria Journal Star. More about Jordan J. Wilson
