Packers Trade for Franklin, Rebuild Defense

0:00On March 31st, the Green Bay Packers just traded for linebackers Zaire Franklin from the Indianapolis Colt to fill the gap left by Key Walker, who's? Free agent Price got two-steep after two solid seasons. Franklin earned second team all pro honors in 2024, but his coverage game took a hit last year with a pro football focus grade of. 29.9, dead last among 32 linebackers, who saw at least 500 coverage snaps. Packers GM, Brian Gudakunst, sees Franklin as a perfect match for Edger and Cooper, both versatile enough to handle run defense, pass rush, and coverage. Duties without one carrying the load. Cooper actually ranked second in that coverage metric while Walker said at 28th, so they meshed well before. Under ex-defence of coordinator Jeff Hathley, the Packers stuck to base or nickel packages on 97.6% of plays, keeping those. Athletic linebackers out there constantly, now with Hathley heading to coach Miami and Jonathan Ganon taking over from his Arizona days, expect the same heavy reliance on two linebackers even, on passing downs.

1:08Franklin's no stranger to those spots, logging at least 575 coverage snaps each of the last four years, though he's allowed a 79.8% completion rate on targets. Walker and Cooper built real chemistry anchoring the middle, and Gudakunst is eyeing how Franklin and Cooper gel in this fresh scheme. As training cam ramps up, it'll be key to watch that linebacker duel lock in, setting the tone for Green Bay's defensive rebuild. That wraps NFL news today, brought to you with AI.