Bisaccia Continues Shopping with Re-Signing of Leavitt

The Green Bay Packers took another trip to the special-teams buffet by re-signing safety Dallin Leavitt.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – “If they want you to cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries.”

“A Bill Parcells reference right there,” Green Bay Packers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia said in May.

Bisaccia isn’t the Packers’ general manager, but Brian Gutekunst continues to gather ingredients from Bisaccia’s shopping list. The Packers re-signed safety Dallin Leavitt, a key member of Bisaccia’s special teams, a source said in confirming a report by NFL Network. The source said it is a one-year deal.

The Packers haven’t been active in high-stakes free agency this offseason, but Gutekunst has spent his limited budget on Bisaccia’s special teams.

Tight end Tyler Davis was No. 1 in snaps last season, Leavitt was second, cornerback Keisean Nixon was fourth and linebacker Eric Wilson was sixth. All four players have been re-signed.

Along with linebacker Isaiah McDuffie (third in snaps), tight end Josiah Deguara (fifth), cornerback Rasul Douglas (seventh) and defensive tackle TJ Slaton (eighth), Green Bay’s top eight players in special-teams snaps are under contract.

Safety Rudy Ford and cornerback Corey Ballentine, two other key cogs on special teams, were re-signed, as well.

When the Las Vegas Raiders released Leavitt just before the start of training camp last summer, Gutekunst pounced. Leavitt had been a standout on Bisaccia’s special teams in Las Vegas and Oakland. His talent and professionalism, not to mention his ability to serve as a bridge between Bisaccia and the rest of unit, was a key factor.

“When you get in the huddle with Aaron Rodgers on offense, I think the hair on the back of your neck stands up and you have to know what you’re doing,” Bisaccia said. “I like to think when you get in the huddle with Dallin Leavitt, the hair on the back of your neck better stand up. You have to know what you’re doing, and he’s been through the process.”

He wound up tied for the team lead with 13 tackles on special teams.

Leavitt entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2018. This will be his sixth season in the NFL – all with Bisaccia. When he went to sign his contract, Bisaccia watched his kids.

“Rich helped me become such a better player because he expects so much more than maybe we expect of ourselves,” Leavitt said last year. “Especially as rookies and young players, you’re wide-eyed and not sure what the NFL is going to be like and where you’re going to fit in. I was undrafted. I didn’t understand what my role would be, and Rich did a great job of helping direct me as a person and a player.

“Off the field, anyone who spends significant time around him knows how much he cares about them individually. He cares about your family; he cares about my wife and my baby. They came out here when I signed. When I was busy, he was with them. He cares about us. He cares about us as players. He wants what’s best for us on the field and off.”

The Packers’ 14 Unrestricted Free Agents

From Allen Lazard to Robert Tonyan, here is where things stand with all 14 of the Green Bay Packers’ unrestricted free agents.

Receivers – Signed: Allen Lazard (Jets); Unsigned: Randall Cobb

Lazard, who led Green Bay in receptions in 2022, signed a four-year deal with the Jets that averaged $11 million per season and could net the Packers a fourth-round compensatory pick. Lazard presumably will join Garrett Wilson as top targets for Rodgers.

“He works out the same place I do,” Lazard said during his introductory news conference. “We were able to cross paths and just connect a little bit on what we were thinking and everything, but there was no trying to do this in a sense. We were both trying to do what's right for the both of us, and his situation is a little bit different with his career and everything and where I want to take my career and the next step. Sitting here today, obviously, it feels good ‘12’ is going to be my quarterback again.”

Tight ends – Signed: Robert Tonyan (Bears); Unsigned: Marcedes Lewis

The free-agent case for Lewis is an interesting one. The Packers, obviously, are going young on offense and this is a strong draft class of tight ends. On the other hand, with the team transitioning to Jordan Love at quarterback, a powerful running game would be especially useful. Blocking is the strength of Lewis’ game.

The Jets expressed interest in Lewis, too, but they’re pretty well set at tight end with Tyler Conklin and CJ Uzomah.

The longer Lewis remains unsigned, the greater the odds that he’ll remain a free agent until after the draft, at which point teams and Lewis will consider their options.

Tonyan, who among tight ends was No. 1 in catch percentage (84.1) and drop percentage (one; 1.9 percent), returned to his native Illinois on a one-year deal with the rival Bears. With the 2021 ACL injury a year in the rear-view mirror, he hopes to parlay this contract into something bigger next offseason.

Defensive line – Signed: Dean Lowry (Vikings), Jarran Reed (Seahawks)

Reed, who provided some juice on the pass rush, and Lowry, whose consecutive-games streak ended in January at 101 games, played almost 1,200 snaps last season. While not great players, that’s a huge void. Kenny Clark and the unproven tandem of Devonte Wyatt and TJ Slaton are the only defensive linemen on the roster who’ve played in a game. Expect the Packers to draft a player and add a low-cost veteran.

Both players will bring back compensatory picks in 2024.

Outside linebacker – Re-signed: Justin Hollins

Claimed off waivers just before Thanksgiving, Hollins provided quality depth following Rashan Gary’s torn ACL. Back on a one-year contract, Hollins, Gary, Preston Smith, and Kingsley Enagbare will provide a quality four-man rotation though a big-swing draft pick could be on the way.

Inside linebacker – Re=signed: Eric Wilson

Signed off the Saints’ practice squad on Oct. 4 following their trip to London, Wilson made his Packers debut in London the following week. Even while not playing a full season, he tied for the team lead with 13 tackles on special teams. The Packers did not retain Krys Barnes, so there was a spot on the roster for a linebacker - especially someone proficient on special teams, which has been the team's offseason direction.

Cornerbacks – Re-signed: Keisean Nixon, Corey Ballentine

Nixon changed the season and the state of Green Bay’s special teams, which is why he’s back on a one-year deal that’s worth $4.25 million with incentives that could push the value to $6 million.

Getting his first shot in Week 6, Nixon led the NFL with a 28.8-yard average on kickoff returns. Among players with at least 20 runbacks, he led the league by 2.5 yards over Minnesota’s Kene Nwangwu and 4.7 yards over the third-place returner, Cleveland’s Jerome Ford. He also averaged 12.7 yards per punt return. Had he had enough returns to qualify among the leaders, he would have ranked second.

Safeties – Unsigned: Adrian Amos. Re-signed: Rudy Ford, Dallin Leavitt

Will it be Darnell Savage and Ford starting at safety in Week 1? Or will Amos return for a fifth season? The standout veteran remains a free agent, though he visited with his hometown Baltimore Ravens on Thursday. Amos, who will turn 30 next month, started all 71 possible games (playoffs included) in four seasons in Green Bay and set a career high in tackles in 2022.

In his first five seasons, Ford had one interception, three passes defensed and six starts. Picked up from Jacksonville at the end of training camp, Ford had three interceptions, three passes defensed and six starts. He is fast and physical.

Leavitt signed as an undrafted free agent in 2018 with the Raiders. This will be his sixth NFL season, all with Rich Bisaccia serving as special teams coordinator.

Kicker – Unsigned Mason Crosby

Crosby has scored a franchise-record 1,918 points – more than the next two players on Green Bay’s career list combined and threatening the NFL’s top-10 list. General manager Brian Gutekunst thought Crosby’s leg issues last year stemmed from offseason knee surgery rather than age.

Kicking in the deep-freeze cold of Lambeau Field is different. In January home games (regular season and playoffs), Crosby is 27-of-30, or 90 percent. During those same games, opposing kickers made 27-of-36, or 75.0 percent.

The thought was Crosby’s future was tied to that of Rodgers. Would the Packers really reload for another shot at a championship with an unproven kicker? That seemed unlikely. With a new quarterback, it might time for a new kicker, as well.

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