If you asked many Packers fans at the beginning of the last couple seasons which position group might've been the weakest link at the time, the inside linebacker position was probably one of the first groups brought up.

Green Bay has struggled to find consistency at that position since Blake Martinez left in free agency after the 2019 season.

And even during Martinez's time, despite being the tackling machine that he was, many were left wanting more from that position in general.

Luckily, the Packers found a gem in free agency before the start of last season. De'Vondre Campbell was signed to a one-year contract in June of 2021 and proceeded to record his best season of football. The first team all-pro recorded the third-most tackles (103) in the league and was just recently voted the No. 49 player on the NFL's Top 100 of 2021 list.

But outside of Campbell, the Packers didn't have much proven depth at the position.

Krys Barnes was capable of making splash plays, but struggled to do it consistently as the No. 2 guy last season. Oren Burks and Ty Summers were primarily special teams guys and struggled when they actually saw the field on defense.

It seems the Packers saw the depth at that position group was a problem as well, addressing it by drafting dynamic playmaker Quay Walker from Georgia in April. Early reports have been positive about his play in training camp.

Isaiah McDuffie, a sixth-round draft pick in 2021 out of Boston College, has also made a big jump in his second season. Turn on the tape of the first two preseason games and you'll see McDuffie all over the field. At this point in time, he's almost a lock for the 53-man roster.

McDuffie seems to have played so well that he may be challenging Barnes for the No. 3 role, to no fault of Barnes, himself. Both have played very well in preseason games, which is a testament as to just how good that position group is.

Once thought to be a weak spot, the inside linebacker position has quickly turned into one of the best position groups on this team.

Which is a welcome sight to see, especially since the rest of this Packers defense has so much talent as well.

I can't wait to see what they do come September.





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[URL=/blog/category/authors/gunnar-davis" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="]Gunnar Davis[/URL]


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Gunnar Davis is a lifelong Packers fan and a recent graduate of Simpson College, where he was a 3-year letterwinner on the offensive line and graduated with a degree in multimedia communications. You can follow him on Twitter at[URL=https://twitter.com/Gunnar57Davis" style="box-sizing: border-box; background: 0px 0px; color: rgb(45, 83, 65);" target="_blank]@Gunnar57Davis.[/URL]


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[URL=/tag/inside-linebacker" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="]Inside linebacker[/URL]

[URL=/blog/category/green-bay-packers" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="]Green Bay Packers[/URL]

[URL=/tag/packers-defense" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="]Packers defense[/URL]

[URL=/tag/devondre-campbell" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="]De'Vondre Campbell[/URL]

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