Packers Urged to Add $8 Million DE, Former Bears’ Pro Bowler

Getty Akiem Hicks had some telling comments about his time with the Chicago Bears.

The Green Bay Packers have undergone considerable turnover in the last couple of months but remain at least one run-stopper short along the defensive line.

Now entering mid-May, free agency is the only way for Green Bay to adequately address its point of attack deficiencies, and a couple of feasible options remain available.

“If the Packers were going to make an outside addition to their roster via free agency, adding to the interior defensive line room would make a lot of sense,” Paul Bretl of USA Today’s Packers Wire wrote on Tuesday, May 9.

At the top of the list of prospects is former Chicago Bears defensive end Akiem Hicks, who is back on the market after a one-year stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Akiem Hicks Battled Injury Issues Over Previous 2 Seasons

GettyFormer Chicago Bears defensive lineman Akiem Hicks sacks former Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers during an NFL game.

Hicks is an 11-year veteran and will play next season at the age of 34. At the very least, he can offer the Packers another big body on the defensive front, standing at 6-feet, 5-inches tall and weighing 324 pounds.

The defensive end has had both of his past two seasons cut short by injury, playing in nine games for Chicago in 2021 and 11 contests for the Bucs last year due to a lingering foot issue. He was plagued by groin problems during his final campaign with the Bears.

When healthy, Hicks has remained a solid run defender, earning a 65.7 player grade in that category in 2022, per Pro Football Focus. Hicks tallied 22 tackles, including two tackles for loss, three pass breakups and a sack with the Bucs last season, per Pro Football Reference.

Akiem Hicks Offers Packers Affordable, Viable Option on D-Line

GettyFormer Chicago Bears defensive lineman Akiem Hicks is a potential free agent target for the Green Bay Packers in 2023. 

Hicks played on a one-year deal worth $8 million in Tampa Bay last season after signing a four-year contract extension worth $48 million in Chicago back in 2017. He earned a Pro-Bowl berth with the Bears the following season.

After seeing his price drop $4 million annually in 2022, Hicks is facing another pay reduction if he returns to an NFL field for the upcoming campaign. Spotrac projects Hicks’ market value at $5.5 million annually over a two-year deal, though Green Bay can probably do even better than that considering no other teams are banging down the lineman’s door to pay him more.

The Packers had just shy of $16.9 million in salary cap space at their disposal as of Wednesday, but still need to sign their 2023 draft picks and address the safety position. Green Bay could approach the latter either via a return of Adrian Amos, or by bringing in some other free agent or undrafted rookie seeking a home.

Green Bay is also short on pass rushers at the moment, and how the franchise proceeds along the defensive line will offer some insight into how the front office and coaching staff view the unit’s weaknesses.

The Packers allowed 5.0 yards per carry in 2022, which tied them for 28th in that category with the Houston Texans, per NFL.com. However, Green Bay also tallied just 34 sacks, tying them for 28th in that category as well, this time with the Cleveland Browns.