GREEN BAY – The Packers know who their primary starters are at both the inside and outside linebacker spots.
But everything after that is wide open, making this a draft within which the defense could find some valuable rotational pieces and future regulars.
On the inside, the linchpin is All-Pro De’Vondre Campbell, who became one of the best free-agent signings, and stories in general, in 2021.
After four years with the Falcons and one with the Cardinals, Campbell was searching for the right free-agent opportunity last spring and waited until June to sign with Green Bay. Just one week remained in the offseason program.
But it didn’t take long once training camp began for Campbell (6-3, 232) to take over as the centerpiece and signal caller in coordinator Joe Barry’s defense. Becoming a leader on and off the field, Campbell enjoyed a career year, racking up 145 tackles and making an impact all sorts of other ways – with six tackles for loss, two sacks, six QB hits, two interceptions, five passes defensed, two forced fumbles and one recovery.
His first-team All-Pro selection was a first for a Packers inside linebacker since Hall of Famer Ray Nitschke in the 1960s. A pending free agent in March, Campbell was the Packers’ top priority to re-sign, and he’s back in Green Bay on a multi-year deal that should provide a level of stability to the middle of Barry’s defense.
“The season he had, I’m so impressed with the person and the player, and he just made a world of difference for the defense,” General Manager Brian Gutekunst said this offseason. He also referred to Campbell as a durable defender who took “our defense to a new level” with “numbers (that) were off the charts.”
Campbell’s most frequent companion at inside linebacker last season was Krys Barnes, who has started 23 games over two years since arriving undrafted from UCLA in 2020. Barnes (6-2, 229) is a steady presence with consistent numbers (78 and 79 tackles last two seasons) whose game has made strides in…