The Green Bay Packers are approaching free agency in 2025 with no priority free agents, plenty of salary cap space and a need to add veteran talent to a young, cheap and ascending roster.
One year after signing safety Xavier McKinney and running back Josh Jacobs in free agency, general manager Brian Gutekunst is in a position to make another splash in 2025.
Until free agency, Packers Wire will run through potential options, continuing today with defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo, in an attempt to identify the pros and cons of each potential target for Gutekunst.
Odeyingbo, a 2021 draft pick of the Indianapolis Colts, will be a coveted pass rusher this free-agent cycle.
Let’s dig into the pros and cons of the Packers going after Odeyingbo:
Pros
— A former second-round pick out of Vanderbilt, Odeyingbo developed into an impactful rotational player for the Colts’ defensive line. Despite having three different position coaches in four years, he has steadily improved throughout his career.
— A productive player over the past two seasons, Odeyingbo has registered 69 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 11.0 sacks, 34 quarterback hits, four forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. According to Pro Football Focus, he also logged a team-high 42 pressures in 2024.
— He will be 25 when next season kicks off. Odeyingbo appears to be an ascending player who has seen his snap count increase every season and perhaps hasn’t reached his full potential.
— Odeyingbo has the potential to play a variety of schemes and alignments. For Indianapolis, he lined up anywhere from a nose tackle to an edge rusher and remained effective.
— Pass-rush is an obvious need for Green Bay this offseason, and Odeyingbo would be a fun addition for Jeff Hafley. His versatility would allow him to provide an immediate boost as an interior pass rusher or on the edge.
— Odeyingbo’s pass-rush win rate improved each season, reaching 12.6% this year, just behind Rashan Gary’s 12.7%.
— At 6-6, 286 pounds, Odeyingbo is a physical specimen with outstanding traits the Packers covet. He possesses the length, athleticism, and play strength to be a handful as a pass rusher.
— Odeyingbo has shown promising flashes of having an effective pass-rush plan. In addition to his exceptional upfield burst, he has good hand usage, lateral agility, and shoulder movement to disengage from blocks.
— After starting just four games in his first three seasons, Odeyingbo became a full-time starter over the final 14 games of Year 4.
— Known for his reliability and toughness, Odeyingbo has appeared in every game over the last three seasons.
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Cons
— Despite playing a career-high number of snaps in 2024, Odeyingbo had a down year in which his tackles, tackles for loss, and sack totals dipped from the previous year.
— Consistency could be a concern with Odeyingbo, who failed to log a single pressure in 10 games over the past two seasons.
— Odeyingbo hasn’t been rated highly as a run defender. His PFF run defense grade in 2023 was 49.1 and improved to just 56.8 in 2024, potentially limiting him to being a situational pass rusher.
— Odeyingbo is prone to missing tackles. He posted a miss tackle rate of 24.3 this season, the ninth highest among defensive players who logged at least 700 defensive snaps.
— PFF projects Odeyingbo’s next contract to be in the range of four years, totaling $66 million with $39.5 million guaranteed. This is a hefty price tag for a player who didn’t build off his success from the previous year. Odeyingbo is also expected to have multiple bidders, which could drive up his price.
— The Colts don’t have a ton of pass-rushing talent and appear to have little interest in re-signing one of their most productive players over the past couple of seasons. It makes you wonder if the team believes Odeyingbo has reached his ceiling.
— Signing Odeyingbo could get in the way of Lukas Van Ness’ development. Despite having a rough start to his NFL career, Van Ness is a former top-15 pick the team hopes will take a leap in Year 3.