The Green Bay Packers have a big decision to make this offseason on one of their mainstays along the defensive line.
TJ Slaton hasn’t missed a game in his NFL career and is now set to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent.
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He is one of two preferred defensive starters — including linebacker Isaiah McDuffie — who may have played their final down as a member of the Packers.
Will Green Bay prioritize returning Slaton or try to find a more well-rounded player to fill in at defensive tackle?
Here are some reasons for and against re-signing Slaton and what we would do if we were the Packers this offseason:
Reasons for
— A fifth-round pick out of Florida, Slaton has developed into a solid contributor to Green Bay’s defense. In 68 regular season games, he’s played 1641 defensive snaps, totaling 134 combined tackles, an average of 1.97 per game.
— No one else on the Packers’ defense measures up to Slaton—literally. He’s listed at 6-4, 330 pounds, and he consistently eats up double-teams as a nose tackle. Finding a replacement through the draft could be challenging, as guys like that don’t just grow on trees.
— The Packers finished with the seventh-ranked run defense in 2024, and Slaton had a hand in that. It was the first time their run defense finished inside the top 10 since 2016.
— Slaton ranked first in run stop win rate among defensive tackles in 2024 per ESPN.
— Slaton has served as the team’s primary run-stuffer over the past two years. During that time, he had 80 combined tackles, including 50 stops (tackles that constitute a “failure” for the offense), according to Pro Football Focus. In 2023, he finished T-16th among defensive linemen with 33 stops.
— It’s possible Slaton won’t cost much to bring back. Run-stuffing defensive tackles are somewhat of a dying breed, so there may not be a ton of teams vying for Slaton’s services.
— There’s something to be said about Slaton’s reliability and toughness. He’s never missed a game due to injury and has started every game over the last two seasons. In fact, he’s hardly been on the injury report.
— Who else on Green Bay’s defensive line can fill Slaton’s role? With all the double teams he sees, perhaps Kenny Clark could take some snaps at nose tackle, but he’s primarily lined up at three-tech. Beyond that, Devonte Wyatt, Karl Brooks, and Colby Wooden aren’t filling that void.
— The NFL draft isn’t overflowing with guys of Slaton’s size and unique skillset. The Packers are known for their draft and development strategy as they did with Slaton, but banking on doing it again carries its own risks.
— Slaton will only be 27 years old at the start of next season, meaning he still has at least a few years of impactful play in him. At the very least, he could be a solid bridge player until the team finds a replacement.
Reasons against
— Despite starting every game in 2024, Slaton’s role diminished under Jeff Hafley in his first season as the defensive coordinator. After switching to a 4-3 defense, Slaton saw his defensive snap percentage drop from 56 percent in 2023 to 39 percent this season. It’s possible he may not have much of a role in Hafley’s defense moving forward.
— Slaton just hasn’t been able to create enough impact plays. He’s registered just two sacks during his career and only six tackles for loss with zero forced fumbles. Those negative plays can be huge, but they haven’t been there with Slaton.
— While Slaton is a formidable run defender, he remains too one-dimensional. Not only does he fail to get sacks, but he produced just 27 pressures over the last two seasons, less than one per game.
— Slaton had only one pressure over the final six weeks of the regular season.
— Given how much the Packers’ pass rush struggled to get home with four this season, they desperately need to improve in this area. However, Slaton offers very little as a pass rusher.
— What is the upside of retaining Slaton? His impact as a run defender will probably remain the same, but he’s likely unable to improve much as a pass rusher.
— PFF gave Slaton the lowest defensive grade of his career in 2024. While these grades should be taken with a grain of salt, Slaton’s career-low rating in 2024 may suggest he has reached his ceiling and isn’t an ideal fit for this new defense.
What I would do
Unless Slaton is willing to return on a team-friendly deal, it’s time for the Packers to move on. Improving the pass rush will be a priority for the Packers this offseason, and Slaton isn’t going to help with that. Whether it’s through free agency, the draft, or both, it’s time to find a defensive tackle who is more well-rounded. Slaton’s limited skillset confined him to being an early-down player, which worked fine for a while, but he was beginning to get phased out of the rotation after Hafley stepped in. Hafley may have a different vision of who should play that role. Luckily, this defensive tackle class is oozing with talent. Forty-one prospects have been invited to this year’s combine compared to just 25 last year. I expect Green Bay to take one with a Day 2 or an early Day 3 pick, even if they sign someone from the outside in free agency. With Devonte Wyatt entering the final year of his rookie deal unless the team picks up his fifth-year option and Kenny Clark approaching 30 and coming off a down year, this defensive line desperately needs reinforcements.
