The Green Bay Packers entered the offseason with an obvious shortage of talent and depth on the defensive line, but they are now somehow in a position to trade one of their veteran tackles ahead of roster cut down day at the end of the month.
Bill Huber of ON SI predicted on Saturday, August 22 in his latest roster projection that Green Bay trades fourth-year DT Karl Brooks.
“The Packers, unexpectedly, are dealing from a position of strength. They have more players capable of contributing than spots on the roster. So, perhaps there’s a deal to be made,” Huber wrote. “Brooks would be the obvious man on the move. He is having a strong camp, had productive seasons in 2023 and 2024, and is entering his final season under contract. The Packers could move him to improve a position of weakness, such as tight end, or add another draft pick to their 2027 war chest.”
Brooks, a sixth-round pick of the Packers out of Bowling Green in the 2023 draft, has played in 50 of a possible 51 regular season games for Green Bay across his first three seasons, which includes seven starts (all in 2025). He has lined up for 1,440 snaps on defense and 352 special teams snaps across that span.
The defensive tackle is entering the final season of his $4 million rookie contract in 2026, which he will play at the age of 26. Brooks has tallied 72 tackles, including 11 tackles for loss, 16 quarterback hits, eight sacks, seven pass breakups, five fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles during his three campaigns with the Packers.
Packers Can Afford to Trade Karl Brooks, but Could Also Retain Him and Roster DT Anthony Campbell
GettyDefensive tackle Karl Brooks of the Green Bay Packers.
Huber noted that a potential decision to move Brooks is rooted in the fact that there are a handful of defensive tackles currently on the expanded roster who are good enough to earn a spot in the final 53-man group.
Namely, the player Green Bay would hold onto by trading Brooks is Anthony Campbell, who was an undrafted free agent out of Miami University in 2025 and will play the upcoming campaign at age 26.
Green Bay could also decide to roster both Campbell and Brooks, avoiding a trade involving the position group.
“The alternative is keeping seven [interior defensive linemen],” Huber continued. “The Packers kept six in the old 4-3 scheme, which placed two defensive tackles on the field. In the 3-4, they’ll use three sometimes, so maybe that will sway the numbers.”
Packers Still Have Depth, Talent Concerns Across Pass-Rush Group
GettyPass-rusher Lukas Van Ness of the Green Bay Packers.
Green Bay’s greatest concern on the defense remains the edge-rush, as superstar Micah Parsons is out likely for the first six games of the season.
Lukas Van Ness is back healthy, which is an important development for the Packers. However, the former first-round pick is entering his fourth NFL season and has yet to prove a dominant force on the outside with regards to pressuring opposing quarterbacks.
Green Bay could still add to that position via free agency to give Van Ness some back up until Parsons returns, but the Packers probably would have done that already if they thought they needed to/doing so was worth the investment.
Packers Projected to Trade Veteran DT in ‘Unexpected’ Move