Packer Central

Packers Free Agents Stay or Go: Eric Wilson

Should the Green Bay Packers re-sign Eric Wilson or let him go? We deliver the pros and cons in the final segment of this 14-part series on the Packers’ 2023 unrestricted free agents.

Bill Huber

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GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers have 14 players who are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents this offseason, including linebacker Eric Wilson.

Going in alphabetical order, our “Stay or Go” series looked at each of those players in advance of the official start of free agency on March 15. Wilson is the last of those stories. Why should the Packers re-sign Wilson? Why should they let him go? Is there a replacement on the roster? Could they get a compensatory draft pick in exchange?

Packers Should Re-Sign Eric Wilson

The Packers’ special teams became a positive factor, for a change, last season. While Keisean Nixon deserves a lot of the credit for his explosive returns, Wilson played a part, too.

Signed off the Saints’ practice squad on Oct. 4, Wilson needed only 13 games to tie for the team lead with 13 tackles on special teams. If there was one positive from the 2022 season, it’s that low-priced veteran signings can make a major difference on special teams. Adding Wilson was one of a few key moves by general manager Brian Gutekunst in that regard.

As an added bonus, he provides valuable depth at linebacker, where he started 15 games and recorded 122 tackles with three interceptions in 15 starts for the Vikings in 2020. Forced into action for the second half at Buffalo, when De’Vondre Campbell went down with a knee injury and Quay Walker was ejected, he had three tackles and one sack of Josh Allen.

Packers Should Let Wilson Sign Elsewhere

With Campbell and Walker the obvious starting tandem and Isaiah McDuffie and Krys Barnes, assuming he comes back as a restricted free agent, to provide depth, the Packers’ top four at the position are strong. So, go use a seventh-round pick on someone younger and cheaper to go chase kickoffs.

Going with a rookie rather than a seventh-year pro would save $415,000 of cap space. That’s chump change in the grand scheme of things but every little bit will help the Packers’ cap situation.

Who Would Replace Wilson?

Again, the depth is strong.

McDuffie was tied with Wilson and safety Dallin Leavitt for No. 1 with 13 tackles on special teams. That includes a team-leading eight solos.

Barnes, who started 23 games at linebacker in 2020 and 2021, led the team with 4.86 defensive snaps per tackle but had zero stops on special teams. McDuffie was second on the team with 5.80 defensive snaps per tackle. So, the depth is strong from a defensive perspective.

Could the Packers Gain a Compensatory Draft Pick for Wilson?

Compensatory draft picks are based mostly on average salary. There’s a 0 percent chance that Wilson, despite his experience and skill on special teams, will get a big enough contract to qualify.

The Verdict on Eric Wilson

For what it’s worth – and I’m always a bit dismissive of PFF’s player grades – Wilson ranked No. 1 on the team on special teams. He was a four-phase performer, as adept at blocking for Nixon as tackling opposing returners.

Is Wilson a must-sign player? No, but given the potential questions on offense, the Packers are going to need to build as powerful a special teams as possible.

More on Green Bay Packers Free Agency

Free agent options at quarterback if Rodgers is traded

Stay or Go: Robert Tonyan

Stay or Go: Jarran Reed

Stay or Go: Keisean Nixon

Stay or Go: Dean Lowry

Stay or Go: Marcedes Lewis

Stay or Go: Dallin Leavitt

Stay of Go: Allen Lazard

Stay or Go: Justin Hollins

Stay or Go: Rudy Ford

Stay or Go: Mason Crosby

Stay of Go: Randall Cobb

Stay or Go: Corey Ballentine

Stay or Go: Adrian Amos

Restructures provide plenty of cap space

Allen Lazard discusses upcoming free agency

These are the depth charts without free agents

Free-agent game plan will hinge on Rodgers

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.

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