Christian Kirksey, Linebacker

Green Bay chose to let Blake Martinez walk in free agency. He ended up signing with the New York Giants, but the Packers think they got an upgrade at inside linebacker with the addition of Christian Kirksey.

Kirksey has been a dominant and athletic presence throughout his career with the Cleveland Browns when he has been healthy. That has been the problem. Over the last two season, Kirksey has only played in nine of the possible 32 games he could have played.

Back in 2017, however, Kirksey played in all 16 games and racked up huge numbers. He ended the year with 138 total tackles to go along with 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and five defended passes.

What are the Packers getting with this addition? They are getting a much more athletic linebacker who can play sideline to sideline, get to the quarterback, and also drop back into coverage.

They are getting an instant starter and a guy who, if he stays healthy, should put up around 120 tackles, a few sacks, a couple forced fumbles, and maybe even a couple of interceptions. Kirksey could be a major steal.