Green Bay Packers: 5 Free agents still available before training camp

1. Sheldon Richardson, DL

Similarly to Kawann Short, signing Sheldon Richardson would give the Packers much-needed depth on the defensive line. When looking at Green Bay’s roster, the defensive line is arguably the weakest group on the team.

Kenny Clark is the team’s only star in the group, while Dean Lowry and Tyler Lancaster are both replacement-level players. Kingsley Keke is still developing and has shown flashes, but at this point cannot be counted on to be a full-time contributor. The wildcard here is rookie T.J. Slayton, who was taken in the fifth round of this year’s draft.

The Packers could opt to fill an immediate hole if they don’t want to wait for Keke and Slayton to prove themselves. Signing Richardson wouldn’t be cheap, but he’d provide an instant impact for a Green Bay defensive line lacking star power.

Now into his 30s, Richardson isn’t the player he once was with the Jets earlier in his career. But he can still provide an impact on 30-35 snaps per game. In 16 games with the Browns last season, he notched 4.5 sacks, 64 tackles (five for losses) and 10 quarterback hits. Would Green Bay be interested in signing a player who might be chasing a ring at this point in his career?