Packer Central

Packers Re-Sign Run-Stopping DT Lancaster

An undrafted free agent in 2018, Lancaster has started 13 times the past two seasons.

Bill Huber

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay have re-signed defensive tackle Tyler Lancaster, who has started 31 games with 13 starts the past two seasons.

Lancaster wasn’t tendered as a restricted free agent, which made him an unrestricted free agent. The team was able to bring him back at a fraction of the $2.133 minimum tender. A source would not talk about the terms, but the minimum salary for a fourth-year player is $990,000.

As a steady role player, Lancaster has been a find as an undrafted free agent out of Northwestern in 2018. After recording 30 tackles and the only 1.5 sacks of his career in 16 games (10 starts) in 2019, Lancaster had 23 tackles in 15 games (three starts) in 2020. He had no sacks, quarterback hits or tackles for losses.

Of 101 interior linemen to play at least 140 snaps vs. the run, he tied for 69th in PFF’s run-stop percentage. He’s been trending the wrong way after finishing second as a rookie and 22nd in 2019. With 22 tackles in 352 snaps, he averaged one tackle for every 16.0 snaps. His five stuffs (a tackle at or behind the line vs. the run) led the team’s defensive linemen. Of 115 interior linemen with at least 140 pass rushes, he was a woeful 111th in PFF’s pass-rushing metric.

The numbers notwithstanding, he’s tough to move and loves the dirty work. His average tackle was 1.8 yards downfield, the best mark of his career, according to Sports Info Solutions

Defensive line remains a big need for the Packers. Kenny Clark will be back to anchor the unit, Dean Lowry and Kingsley Keke remain on the roster, and Lancaster will be back for a fourth season. However, underachieving former third-round pick Montravius Adams signed with New England in free agency, and veterans Damon Harrison and Billy Winn remain unsigned.

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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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